T20 World Cup 2026 has reached its most exciting phase. The battle for the semi-finals has become exciting. South Africa reached the last-four after India defeated Zimbabwe. At the same time, the England team has already reached the semi-finals. Now there is a fight for two places. The knockout match between India and West Indies will be played in Kolkata on March 1. At the same time, there is competition between New Zealand and Pakistan for the second place. If New Zealand defeats England on Friday, their seat will be confirmed. At the same time, if England wins this match then doors will open for Pakistan also. Then they will have to defeat Sri Lanka in their last Super-8 match by a fixed margin. However, there is one equation amidst all this, which is a threat to India. If this happens then West Indies will not need to win against India, the Caribbean team will reach the semi-finals without winning. Let us know what those equations are.
India made a big mistake
Actually, India made a big mistake in the match against Zimbabwe. After the defeat against South Africa, the team’s batting improved, but the bowling flopped. India scored 256 runs against Zimbabwe, but the Indian bowlers were not able to contain Zimbabwe’s batting, which was weak on paper, quickly. In response to India’s target of 257 runs, Zimbabwe scored 184 runs for six wickets in 20 overs. Team India definitely won this match by 72 runs, but the net run rate is still negative. India went from -3.80 to -0.100.
Super 8 Group 1- Points Table
| Team | match | Victory | Garland | inconclusive | score | net run rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The. Africa (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +2.890 |
| west indies | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +1.791 |
| India | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.100 |
| Zimbabwe (E) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -4.475 |
India had a chance to improve the net run rate
This was a match or rather the score of 256 was a score where India had a chance to improve its net run rate. If the Indian team had defeated Zimbabwe as soon as possible, there was a chance to bring the net run rate closer to West Indies. This is because South Africa had defeated West Indies by nine wickets. Due to this, West Indies’ net run rate dropped from +5.35 to +1.791. A win by 100+ runs could have taken India closer to West Indies in net run rate. Why are we saying this, let us know…
Why is not getting out early a mistake?
India forced Shivam Dubey to bowl two overs, while Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya had one over each. Shivam Dubey spent 46 runs in these two overs. He definitely got one wicket, but this decision of the team management was beyond understanding. Where Team India had to stop runs, runs were given forcefully. If only these two overs were bowled by Hardik and Bumrah, it was possible that only 10-15 runs would have been scored and India’s victory would have been 100+ runs. However, this did not happen.
Team India should have put pressure on Zimbabwe after such a big score, as West Indies did and in reply to 254, they bowled out Zimbabwe’s innings for 147 runs. Then West Indies won by 107 runs and their net run rate became +5.35. A win by 110 or 120 runs could have taken the Indian team closer to or beyond West Indies’ current net run rate. Both India and West Indies currently have two points each. But India made a huge mistake in strategy. Now there is India-West Indies knockout, but there is another danger with this knockout and that danger is the fear of rain washing out the match. Shouldn’t the team management have thought about this?
Why can this mistake be costly?
It is certain that whoever wins the match between India and West Indies on March 1 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata will reach the semi-finals. But if rain interferes and the match is washed out, India will be out of the tournament. In a rain-interrupted match, at least five overs each must be played in both the innings for a Duckworth-Lewis result. However, this was not possible and it rained throughout the match and the game could not be played, so West Indies will qualify for the semi-finals on the basis of better net run rate. There is no reserve day for this match. West Indies will not need to play the match. Both the teams will definitely get one point each, but the net run rate will not change and with better net run rate, West Indies will reach the last-four with South Africa. This is worrying for Team India. In such a situation, Indian fans would be celebrating that there should be no rain in the match.
Is there a chance of rain in Kolkata?
According to the report of Accuweather, the weather of Kolkata may remain clear on Sunday March 1. At present there is no possibility of rain during the day. However, there is a two percent chance of rain at night. At the same time, there is a possibility of 33 percent cloudiness. This is good news for Indian fans. The fans are celebrating that the complete match should be played and India should qualify for the semi-finals with a win. But the matter of concern is that when Zimbabwe has scored so many runs, what will be the fate of the West Indies batsmen, who are in such excellent form. West Indies had scored 176 runs on Thursday after falling at 83 for seven wickets. Team India’s coach and management need to change the strategy and make a new plan in bowling as soon as possible.
