Team India’s last knock on the door of semi-finals, eyes of the world on South Africa-West Indies match.

Thursday can prove to be a very decisive day in the Super-8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, because two big matches are to be held in the same day. The results of these matches will clear the picture of the teams reaching the semi-finals from Group 1 to a great extent. In one match, India will face Zimbabwe, while in the other match, West Indies and South Africa will face each other. These two matches will affect the future of four teams.

Not only victory but big victory is necessary for India

There will be a do or die situation for the Indian team in the match to be held in Chennai. After a heavy 76-run defeat against South Africa, India’s net run rate has fallen to -3.80. In such a situation, just winning will not be enough, rather the team will have to win by a big margin so that the net run rate can improve.

There is instability in Indian batting at the moment. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma have failed to make an impact so far, while Ishan Kishan has tried to handle the responsibility. The team will also expect a fast and decisive innings from captain Suryakumar Yadav. India looks strong in bowling, where Jasprit Bumrah is in great form, while Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy are giving balance to the team.

Ahmedabad match is also important for India

The second important match will be played in Ahmedabad, where West Indies and South Africa will face each other. Both the teams have performed brilliantly so far in the Super-8. West Indies showed its strength by defeating Zimbabwe by a huge margin, while South Africa proved its bowling edge by defeating India.

Understand the mathematics of semi-finals

India’s semi-final hopes do not depend only on its own victory, but the results of the second match will also be important. If South Africa wins, the next match between India and West Indies could be like a virtual quarterfinal. But if West Indies wins then the equations will become complicated for India and it will have to depend on the results of other matches also.

Overall, both these matches to be held on Thursday are among the most important matches of Super-8. This will not only change the points table, but will also almost decide the picture of the teams moving forward in the race for the semi-finals.