WHO: India vs West Indies
What: ICC 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India
When: Sunday, March 1, 7pm (13:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 10:30 GMT ahead of our text commentary stream.
The last semi-final spot in the T20 World Cup will be up for grabs when India take on the West Indies on Sunday and the equation couldn’t be simpler – whoever wins takes the final last-four spot.
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India, the defending champions and tournament co-hosts, have the weight of history against them. No team has ever retained the T20 World Cup and no team has ever won the trophy on home soil.
West Indies, meanwhile, were building some momentum until they ran out to a mighty impressive South Africa in their last Super Eight match.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at what could be the quarterfinal clash in the 2026 edition.
How India fares in T20 World Cup 2026?
India have endured a mixed tournament so far, with their top-order batsmen failing to catch fire.
A low-scoring victory against the USA in their opening group-stage match was quickly forgotten, followed by a comprehensive win against rivals Pakistan to seal qualification. With their progress to the second stage assured, India sealed the top spot with their third win in three by beating the Netherlands.
For India, the Super Eight began with a defeat at the hands of South Africa, a team they beat in the 2024 final, a must-win match against Zimbabwe. Abhishek Sharma returned to form with a half-century to top the 72-run win over the Africans; However, all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named man of the match for his half-century and his performance with the ball.
How have West Indies performed in T20 World Cup 2026?
West Indies’ four-match winning streak in this edition ended with a nine-wicket defeat against South Africa in their last match.
Among their victories so far, the biggest test was when they beat England by 30 runs in their opening match. Wins over Nepal, Italy and Zimbabwe – in their opening Super Eight match.
The winner-take-all match against India marks the first high-pressure test of the tournament for the Caribbean side.
How will Group 1 stand in T20 World Cup 2026?
South Africa, who face Zimbabwe in their first match on Sunday, have already closed qualification with four points from their two games. The latter have already been eliminated after defeats at the hands of West Indies and India.
What did India say before the T20 World Cup match against West Indies?
India revived their T20 World Cup campaign with their “Fearless” brand of cricket against Zimbabwe.
Led by opener Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 55 and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 50, the defending champions piled up 256-4, the second-highest total in the tournament’s history.
In a brutal display of power hitting at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the Indian batsmen demolished the opposition bowling with 17 sixes and 17 fours – which is how India intends to proceed.
“That’s the brand of cricket we played against Zimbabwe and we want to play fearless cricket from last year,” batsman Thilak Verma said ahead of the meeting with West Indies.
“We want to keep the same intention in the next match and going forward in the tournament, we will take the same intensity (forward).”
Can India find batting form against West Indies?
The left-handed Verma scored 44 off 19 balls as he put on an unbeaten 84-run partnership with Pandya, who closed the innings with two sixes to bring up his half-century.
It all came together for India after revamping their opening combination with the return of Sanju Samson, who gave the team a quick start with his 24 off 15 balls.
The left-armer Abhishek capped the hit form with his maiden T20 World Cup half-century after battling through the tournament with three ducks in four innings.
“It’s important when the openers give us a good start, the same confidence follows in the third, fourth and fifth,” Verma said.
“And we discussed that whatever the situation, (even) if we lose three-four wickets in the powerplay, we will bat with the same rhythm,” he said.
“And we want to strike fear into the opposition bowlers, these guys are ready to hit every ball.”
What is wrong with India’s batting?
India, the world’s top-ranked T20 team, came into the World Cup on the back of huge totals in bilateral competitions and were on the cusp of crossing the 300-run mark in the tournament.
But their batting looked weak and was often exposed by the minnows, including the United States, who reduced them to 77-6 in their opening match.
Verma is cautious about his team’s plans against West Indies, who scored 254-6 against Zimbabwe in their Super Eight opener.
“So if the wicket is not good, we adjust and we continue with that intensity,” Verma said.
“I wouldn’t say we want to score more than 250, but if we get a good start, we will go for it.”
How has India’s bowling shaped up in the T20 World Cup?
India’s bowling is good. On Thursday, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh returned figures of 3-24 to restrict Zimbabwe to 184-6.
He overtook veteran paceman Jasprit Bumrah’s tally of 35 wickets in the T20 World Cup with Bumrah’s 33 runs.
“We have been doing well for the last two years, so even after a storm or defeat, the group had faith,” Arshdeep told reporters.
“We knew we had to come in and follow our processes and the result would come our way. So the idea is very simple and we’re enjoying it.”
What happened in the last T20 between India and West Indies?
This will be the first T20 meeting between the teams since the bilateral series in August 2023, which saw the West Indies win the series 3–2.
West Indies won the final match by two wickets to clinch the series as India were restricted to 165/9 despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 45-ball 61.
head-to-head
This will be the 31st meeting between these teams in T20 Internationals, with India having won 19 matches so far. West Indies have won 10 matches with no result.
Which teams face each other in the T20 World Cup?
Interestingly, the West Indies have won three of the four T20 World Cup meetings between the teams, while India have registered just one win – and that was in 2014.
Team India news
India’s batsman Rinku Singh quit the team during the T20 World Cup in the middle of the tournament following the death of his father who was suffering from a long illness.
The middle-order batsman joined India ahead of the Super Eight win over Zimbabwe on Thursday, but did not feature in the playing XI in Chennai.
Shivam Dubey will continue as a left-armer, while Kuldeep Yadav may come in to add another spin option.
West Indies Team News
Brandon King has been a major concern for the West Indies ahead of their match against India after suffering an injury against South Africa. The opening batter was injured diving to try to get a catch and did not play for the rest of that game.
If West Indies opt to go for a more seam-heavy attack, Shamar Joseph has been chosen to come in for Gudakesh Moti while dropping the spin option.
Team India is predicted
Abhishek Sharma Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Thilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Arshadeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty, Jaspreet Bumrah
Predicted West Indies team
Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (C&WK), Shimron Hetmeyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfan Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Aqeel Hossain, Gudakesh Moti, Matthew Ford
India and West Indies form the guides
- India Last Five Matches (Latest Result Last)
WWWLW - West Indies Last Five Matches (Latest Result Last)
WWWWL
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