Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 2 (ANI): Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir hailed Sanju Samson's match-winning performance against West Indies at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, saying he showed his true potential when the team needed him most.

Gambhir emphasised that Samson is a world-class player who deserved backing, and this win could be a turning point for him. Samson's majestic 97* single-handedly led Team India to a five-wicket win over West Indies on Sunday, which also sealed their spot in the final four of the T20 World Cup.

Samson's sparkling unbeaten 97 kept alive India's dream of retaining the T20 World Cup at home as they knocked out the West Indies.

'Sanju is a world-class player, we all know how good a player he is. And it was all about backing him. And then when the team needed him the most, obviously today was a day where he probably showed his true potential, and hopefully, this is a time for him to kick off and probably two more games to go,' Gautam Gambhir told the reporters after the match.

Gambhir also praised Samson's composed knock, saying he played normal cricketing shots without forcing the pace. He highlighted Samson's talent and confidence, feeling he showcased his skills perfectly, given the wicket and outfield at the iconic Eden Gardens.

'Look, I actually thought that he never accelerated the innings. It was just a very, very normal cricketing shot, and I never saw any muscling the ball as well, and that is the kind of talent he has. When you know that you're in control of the game and you know that you're feeling good, he's hitting the ball really well in the nets and it's about going in the middle and showcasing that skill that you had and obviously he knew that the wicket was very good, quick outfield as well but again I have always said that he is a world class player, he is a great talent and hopefully he can kick off from now and hopefully we can see a lot more innings like this from Sanju,' Gambhir added.

Gambhir also believes Samson's 97* will boost his confidence, coming back into the team after a tough series against New Zealand before the World Cup. Gambhir feels Samson proved his potential with a crucial innings, despite people focusing on his past scores.

'People will keep looking at his scores and stuff, but then coming back into the team and then playing that kind of innings of 23 - 24, I thought it must have given him a lot of confidence. Because obviously, the guy had a tough series against New Zealand. But we always knew the kind of potential he had,' Gambhir concluded.

Samson carried his bat, leading India's highest successful T20I chase in the T20 WC and at the Eden Gardens. With this innings, Samson also surpassed veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli (82) to slam the second-highest individual score for India in T20 World Cups.

Samson has opened the batting times in 29 run-chases in T20Is and IPL. This is the first instance of him remaining unbeaten till the end of the innings. (ANI)