New Delhi, Mar 1 (IANS) As three semi-finalists have been confirmed at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the last position will go down to the final day of Super Eights action between defending champions India and the West Indies on Sunday evening as the race to be crowned champions continues.
India’s confidence-building victory over Zimbabwe on Thursday leaves the Asian side with a simple equation heading into their final Super Eights fixture with the West Indies.
A victory over the West Indies will see India qualify for the semi-finals, while a loss will see them miss out. If India do qualify then it is likely they will finish the Super Eights behind South Africa in second place in Group 1 and will meet the top-ranked team (England) from Group 2 in the semifinal.
India will take on the Windies at their happy hunting ground, Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, the West Indies too have some good memories of the venue, having won their second T20 World Cup title after beating England in the final at the Eden Gardens in 2016.
But India have a superior record at the venue in the shorter format of the game and have been undefeated in Kolkata since 2016. Moreover, India have never lost a game against the West Indies at the iconic venue.
Men in Blue have played eight T20I matches at the venue since 2011 and have lost just one game. India’s only loss at the Eden Gardens in a T20I came against England in October 2011. India have since managed seven wins in a row in seven T20I matches in a row at the venue.
India and the West Indies have played four T20I matches at the Eden Gardens, with the hosts claiming victories in all four. India’s last victory against the West Indies at the venue came in February 2022.
Overall, India and the West Indies have played in 30 T20I matches, with India having an upper hand against the Windies with 19 wins and the West Indies emerging victorious on 10 occasions. One of the matches between the two sides ended in a no result.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel.
West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Roston Chase, Johnson Charles
–IANS
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