Kolkata, February 27 – The defending champions, India, will face the West Indies in a virtual quarter-final at Eden Gardens on Sunday. The equation for both teams in the semi-final is quite straightforward: the winner of the match will advance to the next round along with South Africa from Group A. However, things could become complicated if the match is affected by rain or is abandoned.
Unlike actual quarter-finals, there is no reserve day for the match. So, if rain or any other unforeseen event affects the match, both teams will share one point each and end up with the same points.
According to the rules, in that case, the semi-final berth will be decided based on Net Run Rate (NRR). If this happens, the West Indies will advance to the semi-final based on their superior net run rate of +1.791, compared to India's -0.100, and the hosts will be eliminated. Therefore, the "Men in Blue" need to win this match at all costs and cannot afford to have it abandoned.
However, the weather forecast has brought some good news for the fans, as there is no rain prediction for Kolkata on Sunday. The temperature will reach 34°C during the day, dropping to a comfortable 25-26°C by match time.
India are coming into the match after a dominant 72-run win against Zimbabwe in their second Super 8s match, played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. They had lost their first match against South Africa and have two points from their two matches.
The West Indies, on the other hand, are coming into the crucial match after suffering a nine-wicket defeat against the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up, South Africa, in their second Super 8s match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. Shai Hope's team had registered a big win in their first Super 8s match against Zimbabwe. The Caribbean side also has two points from their two matches.
