Team India (Pic credit: BCCI)

NEW DELHI: The Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has reached its decisive phase, and the latest points table leaves defending champions India with a clear equation — beat West Indies on Sunday and book a place in the semi-finals.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Group 1 witnessed a dramatic shake-up on Thursday. South Africa stormed into the last four with a commanding nine-wicket win over West Indies in Ahmedabad, chasing down 177 in just 16.1 overs. A blistering 95-run opening stand between Aiden Markram (82 not out) and Quinton de Kock (47) set the tone, while Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 45 sealed the deal as the Proteas finished at 177/1. The victory extended South Africa’s unbeaten run in the tournament and confirmed their semi-final berth.

India, meanwhile, kept their title defence alive with a thumping 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in Chennai. That result, coupled with South Africa’s dominance, has set up a virtual quarterfinal between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Both teams sit on two points from two matches, making it a straight shootout for the second semi-final spot from Group 1.

T20 World Cup Super 8 Group 1 Points Table

While South Africa face Zimbabwe in their final Super 8 fixture, all eyes will be on Kolkata, where the winner of India vs West Indies will advance.In Group 2, co-hosts Sri Lanka became the first side to be eliminated after a 61-run loss to New Zealand. The Kiwis posted 168/7 before restricting Sri Lanka to 107/8, ending their campaign. England have already qualified with two wins from two matches, while New Zealand and Pakistan remain in contention.

T20 World Cup Super 8 Group 2 Points Table

With knockout spots on the line and net run rates in play, the race to the semi-finals is now at boiling point. Sunday’s India-West Indies clash promises to decide more than just two points — it will determine who keeps their World Cup dream alive.

Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Veteran Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza stands on the brink of history as he closes in on a major personal milestone in T20I cricket. The Zimbabwe captain needs just 15 more runs to become the first player from his country to reach 3000 runs in the shortest international format.Raza is expected to target the landmark in Zimbabwe’s must-win Super Eight clash against defending champions India national cricket team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

So far, Raza has accumulated 2985 runs in 131 matches and 126 innings, averaging 26.18. His record in T20Is includes 16 half-centuries and one century.If he achieves the feat, Raza will become the 14th batter overall to cross the 3000-run mark in T20Is, joining an elite list featuring Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Paul Stirling, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Waseem, David Warner, Suryakumar Yadav, Virandeep Singh, Aaron Finch and Quinton de Kock.Meanwhile, Zimbabwe all-rounder Ryan Burl underlined the importance of the upcoming fixture. Zimbabwe were heavily beaten by the West Indies cricket team in their first Super Eight match at the Wankhede Stadium, losing by 107 runs while chasing a daunting 255.With both Zimbabwe and India desperate to keep their semi-final hopes alive, Burl acknowledged the magnitude of the contest.“It is a must-win match for us; it’s also a must-win game for India. There’s obviously a lot at stake here, being a World Cup game, and if we are to progress to the semi-finals, we both want to look at winning tomorrow’s game. So I think we are both excited. Obviously, we don’t get to play India a lot, so it’s something that we really have been looking forward to, and we will grab the opportunity with both hands,” Burl said during the pre-match press conference.

Sanju Samson of India (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Defending champions India national cricket team are weighing changes to their struggling opening partnership ahead of a must-win Super Eights encounter against Zimbabwe national cricket team in Chennai on Thursday. With semi-final qualification hanging in the balance, India are considering wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson as a possible option at the top of the order in their second Super Eights fixture.

Opener Abhishek Sharma has endured a lean run, including three successive ducks, compounding India’s problems. The defending champions began the Super Eights with a heavy 76-run loss to South Africa national cricket team, leaving them with little room for error. The qualification equation is now simple. Win the remaining two matches and progression remains largely in India’s control. Slip up, and they could be forced to rely on other results. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed that combinations are being debated internally. “There can be changes, yes,” Kotak told reporters. “And obviously, it goes without saying that we discuss, because there are two leftie openers, number three is left-handed.” Although he played down concerns over the left-heavy top order, Kotak admitted that repeated early dismissals had prompted reflection. “I personally don’t think that there is any problem there but because we lost a wicket in the first over in three games, obviously, any team would think,” he said. India’s batting core is dominated by left-handers, a pattern opponents have exploited. Sides such as Pakistan national cricket team, Netherlands national cricket team and South Africa have opened with off-spin, dismissing one of the openers in the very first over. In the defeat to South Africa, Ishan Kishan fell for a fourth-ball duck after captain Aiden Markram began with off-spin. Samson, a right-hander who featured earlier in the tournament against Namibia when Abhishek was unwell, could offer balance at the top.

Suryakumar Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: India must stop overthinking match-ups and urgently return to selecting their best XI if they are to keep their T20 World Cup campaign alive, according to former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Following India’s crushing 76-run defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 stage, Ponting issued a blunt assessment ahead of their must-win clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai, urging the team management to simplify their approach.

“Listening to the commentary, the reason Axar didn’t play is because of the left-handers in the opposition side. But there’s still some right-handers there. It just comes down to the art of the captain of being able to use Axar at the right time,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.India’s decision to leave out Axar Patel raised eyebrows, especially with spin expected to play a major role on Indian surfaces. Ponting stressed that team balance must take priority over tactical match-up theories.“I would be going back to the basics. I’d be just looking at their lineup. Who’s our best XI for the conditions in Chennai?” he said.Ponting also threw his support behind bringing back wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, highlighting his ability to trouble all batters regardless of match-ups.“If it has Kuldeep Yadav in it, that’s the other one that I’d be thinking about bringing back because it doesn’t matter with him if it’s left-hand or right-hand. He can bowl wrong ones and spin the ball away from the outside edge.”Former India coach Ravi Shastri echoed similar views, insisting that experience and bowling depth were critical at this stage.“They have to bring him back. You need that experience,” Shastri said of Axar. “What you’re missing out on is that you’re not giving yourself that extra option of a bowler, which I think is important.”With their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread, India now face a simple but urgent task — pick their strongest XI and deliver immediately.

Shoaib Akhtar slams Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar slammed India’s bowling attack after their heavy 76-run loss to South Africa in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match. He said the defeat exposed how fragile India’s bowling unit is, especially against strong batting line-ups like the Proteas.Akhtar was particularly critical of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, who gave away 67 runs in six overs for just one wicket. He felt they lacked pace and intimidation, and that using them in the death overs was a tactical mistake.

“Hardik and Shivam Dube were bowling at around 120 kmph. It’s not as if they are Malcolm Marshall — someone who would intimidate a batting line-up of South Africa’s calibre. If you deploy them in the death overs, such a counterattack from the Proteas is inevitable,” he said on Tapmad.He also pointed out that India’s bowling looked vulnerable overall, with South African batters dominating even the team’s key bowlers. Akhtar highlighted Varun Chakaravarthy’s expensive spell, saying his usual pace was down and that he was punished by the batters. “Indian bowling has been exposed. If you look at Varun, whose strength is bowling at 97-98 kmph, he was clocking 94. And when he came into the attack, he was hit for a no-look six by Dewald Brevis,” he added.Akhtar suggested that India should bring Kuldeep Yadav into the team, calling him the “missing link” who can trick batters and take wickets at crucial moments. “The missing link here is Kuldeep Yadav. He is someone who can deceive batters in the air and pick up wickets when needed. He is a proven match-winner.”He also felt that Varun Chakaravarthy and Washington Sundar offer similar skills, making India’s bowling attack predictable and easier for top teams to attack.