New Delhi: India will take on the West Indies in the must-win match Super 8 of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1. The winner of this match will qualify for the semifinals of the tournament.
India’s semi-final hopes had suffered a massive dent after South Africa defeated the Men in Blue by 76 runs in Ahmedabad last Sunday. But the co-hosts made a strong comeback and thrashed Zimbabwe by 72 runs after posting a record 256/4 in 20 overs in Chennai.
Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya smashed fifties, while Sanju Samson (24), Ishan Kishan (38), Suryakumar Yadav (33), and Tilak Varma also made crucial contributions with the bat. India’s assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate praised the batters for their efforts.
He also hailed Tilak Varma and said that he is ideally suited to bat at number six. Tilak scored an unbeaten 44 runs off 16 balls with the help of three boundaries and four maximums at a stunning strike rate of 275.
“No, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll bat at five or six tomorrow. I thought the other night, Tilak, he looked like a number six. He looked like someone who’s really comfortable at a 10-over entry point,” Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference.
He struggled to get off the mark early in the innings, but looked comfortable in the last overs, and played big shots against the Zimbabwe attack to help India post huge total.
‘We are going to fight fire with fire’
Doeschate further added that the team is prepared for the knockout match against the West Indies, and the players live for moments like these. He also said that in the final phase of the tournament, big players have a crucial role to play.
“The team is prepared. These are professionals who live for these moments. It was a quick turnaround after the disappointment against South Africa. The guys regrouped well in Chennai. We are going to fight fire with fire,” he added.
The T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies will begin at 7 PM (IST).