India eyeing revenge: Will take on Windies with caution after past heartbreak
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Indian cricket team will play its final Super 8 match of the 2026 T20 World Cup against the West Indies in Kolkata on March 1st. To secure a place in the semi-finals, Team India must win this match. Meanwhile, the West Indies will also be looking to secure a place in the semi-finals.
The West Indies remained unbeaten in the group stage. In Thursday's Super 8 match against South Africa, the West Indies lost by 9 wickets, having defeated Zimbabwe in their opening match. Meanwhile, India, which lost its first Super 8 match against South Africa, won its match against Zimbabwe by 72 runs.
The match between India and West Indies on March 1st is like a quarter-final. The winning team will qualify for the semi-finals. Despite playing at home, the Indian team will not take the West Indies lightly at all. This is because of the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final, in which the West Indies defeated the Indian team by 7 wickets, shattering their dream of winning the title. In the semi-final held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 31st, 2016, the Indian team, captained by MS Dhoni, scored 192 runs for 2 wickets, helped by Virat Kohli's unbeaten 89 runs off 47 balls. The score was not low, but the strong batting of the West Indies dwarfed this score.
Riding on Lendl Simmons' unbeaten 82 off 51 balls, including 5 sixes and 7 fours, and Andre Russell's explosive 43 off 20 balls, West Indies not only won the match by scoring 196 for 3 in 19.4 overs but also shattered India's dream of winning the World Cup at home. West Indies defeated England to become champions. Daren Sammy, who was the team's captain at the time, is currently the team's head coach.
When the Indian team takes on the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 1st, they will undoubtedly look to avenge their defeat from 10 years ago. Two players from India's 2016 playing XI, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, will also be part of the next match. These two players could play a crucial role in halting the West Indies' meteoric rise in the World Cup.