How can India qualify for semi-finals after loss to South Africa in T20 World Cup 2026?

Can India still qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals after the loss to South Africa? Here’s a look at the qualification scenarios and what India must do next.

Team India (Image Credit: BCCI)

The Indian cricket team had a dominating run in the group stages of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 by remaining unbeaten. However, in the first match of the Super 8 stage, they lost against South Africa by a huge margin, pushing their NRR down to -3.80. To recover from this loss, India will have to change a lot of things that have been going wrong for the team in the tournament.

Starting with the batting department that has been struggling the most. There are times when players have stood up for the team and performed well in various games. However, that doesn't hide the fact that certain players like Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Suryakumar Yadav have struggled to gather runs in the tournament. Without a stable top-order, collecting runs in the powerplays is extremely difficult.

Now that India's weakness has been exposed mid-tournament, West Indies and other strong teams will surely try to take advantage of the situation. South Africa bowled slow balls throughout the match and troubled the Indian batters. At this stage of the game, getting exposed is certainly now something India would have wanted.

Can India qualify from here?

Well, India still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals if they win their next two matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies. After that, they'll have to depend on South Africa to beat West Indies and then India can safely qualify for the knockouts. However, if West Indies beat South Africa in their next encounter, India's qualification journey will get tough.

West Indies are in a solid form as they slammed 254 runs in today's game against Zimbabwe. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell played match-winning knocks helping their team set a mammoth total on the board. They won by 107 runs, which helped them in their NRR as well. Now, India should hope for West Indies' defeat and winning the next two clashes in the tournament.

Where to watch India vs Zimbabwe match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs Zimbabwe match on Februar y 26 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?

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