IND vs WI: Major update on India's playing 11 ahead of must win match in T20 World Cup 2026
The IND vs WI Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 will take place on March 1.
India are set to face the West Indies in their last match of the Super 8 round in the T20 World Cup 2026. The encounter will be a virtual quarter-final for Suryakumar Yadav & Co. as they need to defeat the West Indies at any cost to book a berth in the semi-final.
From Group 1, South Africa have become the first team to seal a place in the semi-final. West Indies grab the second spot with two points, while India follow them with an equal two points but a lesser run-rate. Since both teams have only one game left in this round, the winner of the match will join Proteas in the semis from this pool.
India suffered a major setback after losing to South Africa by 76 runs in their first Super 8 match. However, they made a comeback in the next game by defeating Zimbabwe by 72 runs. Moreover, the Men in Blue made two changes in the playing XI against Zimbabwe.
They dropped out-of-form Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar from the playing XI, and replaced them with Sanju Samson and Axar Patel. Also, Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the batting while Ishan Kishan was moved to the one-down position.
The decision worked in their favour as they were able to post a mammoth total of 256/4 in the first innings, crossing the 200-plus mark for the second time in the tournament. Now, fans are eager to know what will be India’s playing XI in the crucial clash against the West Indies.
India to name unchanged playing XI against West Indies- Reports
According to a report by The Indian Express, India are expected to retain the same playing XI as in the last game. The report also states that the team does not want to change the winning combination that defeated Zimbabwe in the previous game in Chennai on February 26.
Hence, Samson and Abhishek Sharma might open the batting once again, while Kishan will take the No. 3 spot. In the last match, sending Tilak Varma to bat at No. 6 was a surprising decision. However, it worked well for him as he slammed a quickfire 44* off 16.
India’s likely playing XI against West Indies in Super 8 clash
Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
When and where will the IND vs WI match take place?
The India vs West Indies match will take place on March 1 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
What will be India’s likely playing XI against the West Indies?
According to a report by The Indian Express, India are likely to retain the same playing XI against West Indies.
For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.