T20 World Cup 2026: Thursday was a very good day for Team India in many ways in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but two major factors went in their favor in terms of opening the door to the World Cup semi-finals.

First, South Africa defeated the West Indies by 9 wickets. And then, Team India crushed Zimbabwe (Ind vs Zim report) by 72 runs. Certainly, India's path to the semi-finals is straightforward and clear from here, but there is still something that could create problems. Team India will face the West Indies in their last match of the Super 8 round on March 1st. And this match has turned into a quarter-final. This means that whichever team defeats the opponent will directly qualify for the semi-finals.

Current Status of Group 1

1. India's Direct Path to the Semi-Finals!

This is a straightforward path for Team India to qualify for the final four. Nothing like NRR matters at all. Simply beat the West Indies and secure a semi-final berth. No multiplication or division required. A win over the West Indies will give India four points. If South Africa defeats Zimbabwe in its final group match, South Africa will remain on top with six points. India, meanwhile, will be in second place with four points. In this scenario, both India and South Africa will directly qualify for the semi-finals. West Indies will remain on two points and be eliminated from the tournament. But there's something here that could make India's path difficult in case of an unexpected result.

2. Obstacle: If a tie is avoided, India will have to make a big leap

If Zimbabwe upsets South Africa in the match to be played before India's match against the West Indies on Sunday, and India defeats the West Indies, it will result in a tie between the three teams. In this scenario, South Africa, India, and Zimbabwe will each have four points. The semifinalists will be decided by NRR (net run-rate). Currently, India's NRR is lower than both South Africa (+2.890) and West Indies (+1.791). Therefore, India will need to register a big win against the West Indies to secure a place among the top two teams in the group. The 'mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>3. Friends, pray for this...

This is the situation where millions of Indian fans need to pray that there is no rain at all during the match to be played at Eden Gardens on Sunday, March 1st. If the match is cancelled due to rain, both teams will receive one point each. In this scenario, India and the West Indies will be tied with 3 points each. Now that the West Indies' net run-rate (+1.791) is significantly better than India's (-0.100), the West Indies will qualify for the semi-finals ahead of India. Therefore, friends, pray for this...plead together!