SA vs WI: India hold breath as South take on West Indies

AHMEDABAD: On Thursday afternoon at the Narendra Modi stadium, two unbeaten teams in South Africa and West Indies will face each other in a battle that will dictate India’s eventual fate in the T20 World Cup. While the winner will all but seal a spot in the semifinal, Indian fans will be hoping South Africa is that team. If South Africa win and India register a big triumph against less-fancied Zimbabwe in Chennai later in the evening, India and West Indies will be locked in a virtual shootout in Kolkata on Sunday. Otherwise, India will have to play the net run-rate game even if they win by a big margin against Zimbabwe.



The West Indies team has been pleasantly surprising in this tournament. They have rediscovered their flair and are playing like a team which dominated the format from 2012-2016, when they became T20 World Champions twice. However, the West Indian power-hitters will face a stiff challenge from South Africa’s pace attack, which looked in incredible shape against India in their big win at the same venue. The South African team has been in Ahmedabad for the last fortnight. They have decoded the conditions at the venue to a nicety.

The West Indies batting, arriving on the back of a 107-run win against Zimbabwe in Mumbai, relies heavily on their in-form No. 3 Shimron Hetmyer. With Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder in their batting lineup, the West Indies boast of explosive power.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.