South Africa’s nine-wicket demolition of Windies and India’s 72-run thrashing of Zimbabwe turn Sunday’s Eden Gardens clash into a virtual quarterfinal
Thursday delivered exactly the script Indian cricket needed at the T20 World Cup. A double-header of results first South Africa’s, then India’s own dramatically reshaped Group 1’s semifinal picture.
At Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, South Africa dismantled West Indies with surgical efficiency, chasing 177 in just 16.1 overs with nine wickets to spare. For India, still nursing wounds from their record 76-run loss to the Proteas, this was crucial , it rendered net run rate irrelevant and buried the threat of an early exit.
India then did their own part emphatically. At Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, Abhishek Sharma rediscovered his explosive touch with a blistering half-century, while captain Suryakumar Yadav contributed handsomely. India posted 256/4 the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history before restricting Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe to 184/6, winning by 72 runs and lifting their NRR from a dismal -3.800 to -0.100.
The consequence is stark: India versus West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on March 1 is now a knockout. One team advances to the semifinals; the other goes home
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