It was a perfect Saturday for India in the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the first match, West Indies suffered a big nine-wicket defeat to South Africa, before the Men in Blue took advantage by thumping Zimbabwe
by a 72-run margin at the M Chidambaram Stadium in the evening.
Only two matches are left in the group. South Africa and Zimbabwe will meet on Sunday afternoon in a dead-rubber because the former has already qualified for the semi-final and the latter has been knocked out. Then, India and the West Indies will meet at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
India and the West Indies are level at two points, which makes the equation simple — whoever wins the match will proceed to the semi-final. This, thus, is a virtual quarterfinal match.
However, unlike actual quarterfinals, we don’t have a reserve day available. So, if rain or any other calamity were to interfere, the teams will have to share points.
In that case, West Indies will move to the semi-final on the virtue of their superior net run rate of +1.791, compared to India’s -0.100, and Suryakumar Yadav’s men would be eliminated. So, India need to win this match at any cost and can’t afford to see it abandoned.
NRR and the margin of victory won’t matter if there’s a result in this game because the winner will move to four points, which the loser can’t mathematically match.
What is the rain forecast for the India-West Indies match in Kolkata?
While we can’t predict another force majeure, there’s no rain forecast for Kolkata on Sunday. We should get a full match, which India would appreciate.
What position would India/West Indies will play in the semi-final?
The winner of this match would have four points. Their position will depend on the South Africa-Zimbabwe game. If the Proteas win, then India/West Indies will finish second and will clash with the top-ranked team from Super Eights Group 1. If Zimbabwe win, then the team with the better NRR between South Africa and India/West Indies will finish first and thus, meet the second-ranked team in Super Eights Group 2.
