West Indies vs South Africa - Whose Win Benefits India Most In T20 World Cup Semi-Final Race - Explained

West Indies have set South Africa a 177-run target in their second T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match in Ahmedabad on Thursday. West Indies were 83/7 at one stage before Romario Shepherd (52*) and Jason Holder (49) revived the innings to take their team to a competitive total. Later in the day, India will play Zimbabwe in their second Super 8 match. After losing to South Africa, India are in a tricky spot, and much of their semi-final qualification hopes now depend on the result of the South Africa vs West Indies match..

Currently, this is how the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 points table stands:

1. West Indies - 2 points, 1 match, NRR +5.350

2. South Africa - 2 points, 1 match, NRR +3.800

3. India - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -3.800

4. Zimbabwe - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -5.350

Other Fixtures in T20 World Cup Super 8 Group 1

March 1: South Africa vs Zimbabwe (3 pm)

March 1: India vs West Indies (7 pm)

If South Africa beat West Indies, this is how the points table will look:

South Africa - 4 points, 2 matches

West Indies - 2 points, 2 matches

India - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -3.800

Zimbabwe - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -5.350

South Africa will be through to the semi-finals. Also, the winner of the next India vs West Indies match (provided India beat Zimbabwe later today) will advance irrespective of the Net Run Rate.

If West Indies beat South Africa, this is how the points table will look:

West Indies - 4 points, 2 matches

South Africa - 2 points, 2 matches

India - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -3.800

Zimbabwe - 0 points, 1 match, NRR -5.350

In such a scenario, after beating Zimbabwe today, India will have to defeat West Indies by a heavy margin in their final match to improve their Net Run Rate. Then, they must hope that Zimbabwe either beat South Africa (so the Proteas' points remain at 2) or lose to the Proteas by a very narrow margin (so that South Africa do not surpass India's NRR).

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket