Samson: Tilak's wicket the 'turning point' in India's loss

After West Indies beat India by 24 runs in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, Sanju Samson said Tilak Varma's wicket was the turning point.

Chasing 248 on a relaid surface, India slipped to 130 for 5 in the 12th over, but Tilak and Nitish Kumar Reddy kept them in the contest. The pair brought the equation down to 48 needed from 19 balls before Romario Shepherd removed Tilak.

"The turning point of the match was when Tilak got out," Samson said. "We were cruising, scoring those 10-12 runs per over really nicely. Reddy and Tilak were batting really well in the pressure situation. Till that moment, I think we were in the chase.

"That is actually a great thing to have after losing five wickets, having that kind of control - two young cricketers taking on the pressure and taking on the West Indian bowling line-up."

Earlier, Samson himself had set the platform with 56 off 23 balls. He said while he enjoyed his innings, he would have liked to be on the winning side.

"Whatever you do feels very different when you are on the losing side, so I am actually a bit gutted at the moment," he said. "I definitely wanted to be on the winning side. I really enjoyed batting out there. When you are chasing a score like that, there are no second thoughts - you just have to back your instincts, your power game, and that is what I did. So I really enjoyed the knock, but I would have liked to be on the winning side."

Asked whether India were missing Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, Samson said: "There is no replacement for Jasprit Bumrah. He is a once-in-a-generation kind of bowler, and we are very lucky to have him. But we have had some really good talent coming along also; Arshdeep [Singh] has been doing a great job, and also the way Prince Yadav has bowled in the last few games is very impressive. I feel we have some really good talent. The more we play them, the more we back them, the better they will become."

India go into the series-deciding fifth T20I with another headache. In the last over of the chase, Arshdeep was hit on the left shoulder by a short ball from Shamar Joseph. He looked in serious pain but stayed on to face one more delivery before retiring hurt.

"Arshdeep is putting ice on his shoulder," Samson said. "Hopefully he recovers soon."

The final T20I will be played on Saturday in Bengaluru.