​’The turning point of the match’: Sanju Samson reflects on India’s 24-run loss against West Indies in 4th T20I at Hyderabad originally appeared on Cricket News.
Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Sanju Samson called Tilak Varma’s dismissal the turning point in India’s 24-run loss to West Indies.Samson smashed 56 off 23 balls, but India fell short in the chase.He backed Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan while praising Shai Hope’s century.India will aim to bounce back in the series-deciding fifth T20I in Bengaluru.Sanju Samson identifies Tilak Varma’s dismissal as turning point in India’s loss to West IndiesIndia lost by 24 runs to West Indies in the fourth T20I held in Hyderabad on Wednesday, making the series result dependent on the final match. Although Sanju Samson started India’s chase with a flying start with 56 off 23 balls, India couldn’t make their way to the target.Samson stated that he thought India was in contention when Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy were batting. Yet, he singled out Tilak’s wicket as the turning point of the match, which went to the opponents.In his post-match conference interview, Samson reviewed the partnership between them, batting mistakes of India and difficulties of chasing the big total while highlighting the exceptional performance of West Indies captain Shai Hope with the bat.MORE:IND vs WI 4th T20I 2026: Shai Hope’s century powers the West Indies to a 24-run victoryWhat did Sanju Samson say about Tilak Varma’s dismissal?Samson knew that the chase for India was not yet out of bounds when Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy were forming a partnership. Together, they stitched a stand of 70 runs for the sixth wicket, which kept India in the game despite the early fall of many wickets.“The turning point of the match is when Tilak got out suddenly. Reddy and Tilak were taking the pressure and batting really well. Great even after losing five wickets and taking control,” he stated. BCCI/Creimas Tilak made 43 runs from 22 deliveries, while Reddy made 41 from 24 balls. But the dismissal of Tilak at 137/6 in the 13th over meant that India had an uphill battle. West Indies took advantage of the breakthrough to seize control of the game at the latter stages.MORE:Tilak Varma explains controversial run-out against WI after criticismSamson backs Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan after batting failuresIndia’s opening batting line-up could not carry the momentum from there after a spectacular beginning by Samson. While Abhishek Sharma made 29 runs in just 14 balls, Ishan Kishan got out after scoring only six runs.However, Samson supported his teammates and said that a small mistake would not be an issue.”Mistakes are bound to happen,” he said. “Ishan and Abhishek are top two batters – one game is totally fine.”India started with good momentum but the dismissal of Samson and Ishan Kishan within the first five overs brought the Caribbean nation bac