All roads lead to Eden Gardens, Kolkata, for the T20 World Cup Super 8s Group 1 tie between India and the West Indies. The winner of the match will book their ticket to the semi-final and face England in the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5, and the loser will have to fly back home. Suryakumar Yadav‘s India started the game off on a positive note by winning the toss and opting to bowl on a venue where dew is expected to play a key factor.
After winning the coin toss, Suryakumar, fondly known as ‘SKY’, admitted there’s some tension in the dressing room as the match holds key importance. However, he also said that the entire team is looking to give it their best shot and come out on the right side of the result.
“There will be tension. There will be nerves. But if there’s no pressure, there’s no fun. But the mood in the camp is good. I think we ticked all the boxes in the last game,” Suryakumar said in a chat with Ravi Shastri at the toss.
“And taking that positivity coming here in this game, I think it’ll be a good one. No, we’re going with the same team,” he added.
For the match against the West Indies, India made no changes to the playing XI from the previous encounter against Zimbabwe, which the Men in Blue won by 72 runs.
“The surface looks good. It has been a chasing ground. Wicket later on becomes even better. And also with a little bit of dew factor, I think chasing would be a better option,” said Suryakumar.
Speaking about playing in Kolkata, the Indian captain said, “I mean, it’s already very wild. The crowd is in. Hopefully, we can give them a good show tonight.”
India have been the standout team in the T20I format ever since their World Cup win in 2024; however, it will all boil down to how the side performs against the West Indies. A defeat will see the tournament favourites crash out and not even make the semi-finals.
India’s shocking defeat against South Africa
India remained undefeated in the group stage. But the Men in Blue were in for a shock against South Africa in Ahmedabad after losing by 76 runs. The equation was then simple: win the next two games and remain in contention for the semis race.
India made a crucial change for the match against Zimbabwe, bringing in Sanju Samson as an opener and dropping Rinku Singh. The defending champions hammered 256 runs, and eventually won the match by 72 runs.
West Indies went down to South Africa after beating Zimbabwe, making the encounter between India and the Windies a must-win for both teams.
For the match against India, the Caribbean nation made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Akeal Hosein in the place of Brandon King.
