Kolkata, Feb 27 (IANS) Defending champions India will face West Indies in a virtual quarterfinal at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. The semifinal equation is quite simple for both teams; the winner of the encounter will reach the next round along with South Africa from Group A. However, things can get complicated if the match gets washed out or abandoned.

Unlike actual quarterfinals, the reserve day is not available for the match. So if rain or any other calamity affects the match, then the teams will share one point each and will finish at the same points.

According to the rules, in that case, the semifinal berth will be decided based on Net Run Rate (NRR). If that happens, West Indies will move to the semifinal on the virtue of their superior net run rate of +1.791, compared to India’s -0.100, and the hosts will be eliminated. So, the Men in Blue need to win this match at any cost and can’t afford to see it abandoned.

However, the weather forecast has brought some good news for the fans as there is no rain prediction in Kolkata on Sunday. Temperatures will hit 34°C during the day. They will drop to a comfortable 25-26°C by match time.

India are coming to the contest after registering a dominant 72-run win against Zimbabwe in their second Super 8s match played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. They lost the first clash against South Africa and have two points from two matches.

While the West Indies is coming to the do-or-die match after suffering a nine-wicket defeat against the T20 World Cup 2024 runner-ups, South Africa, in their second Super 8s match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. Shai Hope’s team registered a big win in their first Super 8s match vs Zimbabwe. The Caribbean side also has two points in two matches.

–IANS

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