Who: India vs West Indies
What: ICC 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eights
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India
When: Sunday, March 1, at 7pm (13:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 10:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
The last semifinal spot at the T20 World Cup will be up for grabs when India takes on West Indies on Sunday, and the equation could not be simpler – whoever wins will take the final last-four berth.
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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 side has ever won the trophy on home soil.
West Indies, meanwhile, had been building some momentum until they ran into the mightily impressive South Africa in their last Super Eights match.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at what is a quarterfinal clash at the 2026 edition.
How have India fared at the 2026 T20 World Cup?
India have endured a mixed tournament so far, with their top-order batters failing to fire.
A below-par victory in their opening group-stage match against the USA was quickly forgotten, following a comprehensive win to seal qualification against rivals Pakistan. With their progress to the second phase assured, India sealed top spot with a third win in three by beating the Netherlands.
For India, the Super Eights began with a defeat at the hands of South Africa, the side they overcame in the 2024 final, making the match against Zimbabwe a must-win. Abhishek Sharma returned to form with a fifty at the top in a 72-run win against the Africans; however, all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named Player of the Match for his half-century and his performance with the ball.
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How have West Indies fared at the 2026 T20 World Cup?
West Indies’ four-match winning streak at this edition ended in a nine-wicket defeat against South Africa in their last match.
Of their victories so far, the biggest test has been in their opening match, when they beat England by 30 runs. Wins followed against Nepal, Italy and Zimbabwe – in their opening Super Eights match.
The winner-takes-all match against India will mark the first heavily pressurised test of the tournament for the team from the Caribbean.
How does Group 1 stand at the 2026 T20 World Cup?
South Africa, who meet Zimbabwe in the first game of the day on Sunday, have already sealed qualification with four points from their two games. The latter are already eliminated, following defeats at the hands of West Indies and India.
What have India said before their T20 World Cup showdown with West Indies?
India revived their T20 World Cup campaign with their “fearless” brand of cricket against Zimbabwe.
The defending champions’ batting, led by opener Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 55, and an unbeaten 50 by Hardik Pandya, piled up 256-4, the second-highest total in the history of the tournament.
In a brutal show of power hitting, the Indian batters demolished the opposition bowling with 17 sixes and 17 fours at the MA Chidambaram Stadium – it is how India intend to proceed.
“We want to play the fearless cricket, the brand of cricket we played against Zimbabwe and we played since last year,” batter Tilak Varma said before the meeting with West Indies.
“The same intent we want to keep in the next game as well. And going ahead in the tournament, we take the same intensity [forward].”
Can India’s batting find form against West Indies?
The left-handed Varma hit a 19-ball 44 as he put together an unbeaten 84-run stand with Pandya, who capped off the innings with two sixes to raise his fifty.
It all came together for India after they rejigged their opening combination with the return of Sanju Samson, who handed the team a quick start with his 24 off 15 balls.
The left-handed Abhishek hit form with his first T20 World Cup fifty after he struggled in the tournament with three ducks in four innings.
“It’s important when the openers give us a good start, the same confidence follows to number three, four and five,” said Varma.
“And we discussed that whatever the situation is, [even] if we lose three-four wickets in powerplay, we will bat with the same rhythm,” he added.
“And we want to show the fear in opposition bowlers, that these guys are ready to hit each and every ball.”
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What has gone 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 contests and were tipped to cross the 300-run mark at the tournament.
But their batting had looked fragile and was often exposed, including by minnows the United States, who reduced them to 77-6 in their opener.
Varma remains cautious of his team’s plans against the West Indies, who posted 254-6 against Zimbabwe in their Super Eights opener.
“So if the wicket is not good, then we’ll adjust, and we’ll keep that intensity on,” said Varma.
“I would not say we want to score more than 250, but if we get a good start, then, of course, we’ll go for it.”
How has the India bowling shaped up at the T20 World Cup?
The Indian bowling has looked good. On Thursday, left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh returned figures of 3-24 to limit Zimbabwe to 184-6.
He surpassed senior paceman Jasprit Bumrah as the leading bowler for India at the T20 World Cup with 35 wickets to Bumrah’s 33.
“We have been doing well for the past couple of years, so even after a blip or a defeat, the belief of the group was there,” Arshdeep told reporters.
“We knew we just have to come and follow our processes, and the result will come our way. So the thought was very simple, and we are enjoying it.”
What happened in the last T20 between India and West Indies?
This will be the first T20 meeting between the sides since the August 2023 bilateral series, which resulted in a 3-2 series win for West Indies.
West Indies secured a two-wicket win in the final game to clinch the series, with India restricted to 165/9 despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 61 off 45 balls.
This will be the 31st meeting between the sides in T20 internationals, with India winning 19 of the matches so far. West Indies have won 10 of the encounters, with one no result.
How have the teams fared in encounters at T20 World Cups?
Interestingly, West Indies have won three of the four T20 World Cup meetings between the sides, while India have recorded just the one win – and that was back in 2014.
India team news
India batter Rinku Singh has left the team during the T20 World Cup in the middle of the tournament after the death of his long-ailing father.
The middle-order batter had rejoined India before Thursday’s Super Eights victory against Zimbabwe, but did not feature in the playing XI in Chennai.
Shivam Dube is set to continue in the left-hander’s place, but Kuldeep Yadav could come in to add another spin option.
West Indies team news
Brandon King is the main concern for West Indies in the run-up to the match against India, after sustaining an injury during the match against South Africa. The opening batter was hurt diving to attempt a catch and did not play for the remainder of that match.
Shamar Joseph is an option to come in for Gudakesh Motie if West Indies choose to go for a more seam-heavy attack, while dropping a spin option.
Predicted India team
Abhishek Sharma Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
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Predicted West Indies team
Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde
India and West Indies form guides
- India last five matches (most recent result last)
W-W-W-L-W - West Indies last five matches (most recent result last)
W-W-W-W-L