India eye semi-final berth in must-win Super 8 clash against West Indies in Kolkata
India holds a superior head-to-head record against the West Indies in T20Is, winning 19 of the 30 games. The Windies have 10 wins, while one game was abandoned.
28 February, 2026
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Defending champions India will be aiming to book their T20 Cup 2026 semi-final spot when they host West Indies in a virtual quarter-final at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1. The match will start at 7:00 PM IST.
Under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue will head into the must-win Super 8 encounter brimming with confidence after they registered a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
Put in to bat, India rode on scintillating fifties from opener Abhishek Sharma (55) and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (50 not out), along with quick-fire contributions from Tilak Varma (44 not out), Ishan Kishan (38), skipper Suryakumar (33) and Sanju Samson (24) to post a mammoth 256/4 in 20 overs, their second-highest total in T20 Cups.
Later, the hosts produced an impressive all-round bowling performance to restrict Zimbabwe to 184/6 in their allotted overs to secure a thumping victory, following their disappointing defeat against South Africa in their Super 8 Group 1 opener.
In the bowling department, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was India’s standout bowler in their last game with brilliant figures of 3/24, while Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube picked up one wicket each.
On the other hand, the Shai Hope-led West Indies will look to bounce back after they succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat against South Africa in their previous Super 8 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Earlier, the two-time T20 Cup champions West Indies started the Super 8 campaign with a dominant 107-run win over Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
With two points from two games, India and West Indies will be battling for the other semi-final berth from Super 8 Group 1, while South Africa have already sealed their semi-final spot with four points.
As a result, the equation is quite simple for India’s qualification for the T20 Cup 2026 semi-finals. The Men in Blue need to beat West Indies in their final Super 8 clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to book their spot in the final four.
However, if the match is washed out due to rain, West Indies will advance to the semi-finals by virtue of having a better Net Run Rate (NRR), since there is no reserve day. The Caribbean outfit has a better NRR of +1.791, while India’s NRR is -0.100.
Players to watch out for
Ishan Kishan: Swashbuckling left-hander Ishan Kishan has been India’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing T20 tournament. Kishan has already amassed 214 runs in six matches at an impressive strike rate of 186.08, with two fifties to his name. He will look to produce another match-winning knock against West Indies on Sunday.
Varun Chakaravarthy: India’s star spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been one of the top bowlers in the ongoing marquee tournament. The 34-year-old leg-spinner has already bagged 11 wickets in six games at an average of 13.09 and an economy of 7.20. Varun could play a pivotal role against the hard-hitting Caribbean batters at the Eden Gardens.
India vs West Indies T20 head-to-head
India holds a superior head-to-head record against the West Indies in T20Is, winning 19 of the 30 games. The Windies have 10 wins, while one game was abandoned.
