'Over to you, India': South Africa demolish West Indies in Ahmedabad to make it easier for India in T20 World Cup 2026

An unbeaten 82 off 46 deliveries from captain Aiden Markram helped South Africa defeat West Indies by 9 wickets with 23 balls remaining at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Aiden Markram played an unbeaten knock of 82 off 46 deliveries to help South Africa win by 9 wickets.

Even before the toss took place during the India vs Zimbabwe game in Chennai, Indian cricket team fans received a good news as South Africa demolished West Indies in their Super 8 fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. An unbeaten 82 off 46 deliveries from captain Aiden Markram helped South Africa defeat West Indies by 9 wickets with 23 balls remaining in the match.

African pacers dominated, but the Windies fought back

After choosing to field first, South Africa cornered the West Indies from the first power play as they took four wickets within the first five overs. They extended their pressure on the Windies team with three more wickets in the next eight overs. But from struggling at 82/7, West Indies recovered well through a record-breaking 89-run, 8-wicket partnership between Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd.

Holder, who was dismissed on 49, started the onslaught on the South African bowlers. While Romario Shepherd hit a 6 and a 4 in the final two deliveries of the innings to reach his 50. Their partnership helped the West Indies reach 176 for 8 in the first innings, which looked far away from where they were at during the mid-innings.

Read also: T20 World Cup 2026: Does India need an anchor like Virat Kohli? Or do they need something else?

Clinical case from South Africa

During the chase, South Africa did not just reach the target; they dominated in every single over. Captain Aiden Markram led from the front with a blistering unbeaten 82 off 46 deliveries, reaching his half-century in just 27 deliveries.

Alongside Quinton de Kock, who himself scored a quick 47 off 24 deliveries, the pair dominated the West Indies spaces during the powerplay, reaching 69 without losing a wicket in the first six overs.

Even after De Kock fell to Roston Chase, Ryle Rickenton, who scored 44 off 28 deliveries, remained unbeaten and ensured that there were no hiccups during the chase.

At the end, South Africa wrapped up the game in just 16.1 overs, giving the West Indies a crushing blow to both their points and obviously to their net run rate.

Read also: T20 World Cup 2026: How can India qualify for the semis? Full scenario explained with stats and numbers.

Why is this a massive win for Team India?

As we have discussed earlier in our previous article this South Africa win is also a massive win for Team India.

South Africa, after 2 games, sits at the top of the group with 4 points. If they go on to win their game against Zimbabwe, they will finish the group as the top team.

This means that if India goes on to beat Zimbabwe tonight and the West Indies on 1st March at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, they will eventually finish as the runner-up from the group, and both South Africa and India will qualify for the semi-finals.

How to watch the India vs Zimbabwe, T20 World Cup 2026 match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs Zimbabwe, T20 World Cup 2026 match on JioHotstar, accessible via OTTplay Premium.

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