What India Must Do To Secure A Semifinal Spot In T20 World Cup 2026 After Being Thrashed By South Africa In Ahmedabad

India's chances of reaching the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal have received a major dent following their 76-run defeat to South Africa in a Super 8 encounter at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Proteas avenged their 2024 T20 World Cup final defeat with a dominating display and the Men In Blue need to regroup as they are scheduled to face Zimbabwe in  Chennai on February 26.

India Lost To South Africa By 76 Runs

India dropped Axar Patel from the team and went ahead with Washington Sundar. But the gamble didn't pay off as Washington conceded 17 runs in his two-over spell and looked completely out of sync in his 11-ball 11 innings. Jasprit Bumrah's three-wicket haul seemed to have put the brakes on South Africa's run scoring. But David Miller and Dewald Brevis' all-round hitting tilted the shift towards the visitors.

The batting conditions looked to have improved under the lights, but the Indian batters made a mess of everything. Abhishek Sharma finally managed to open his T20 World Cup account, but both the openers went back cheaply. Soon, almost everyone followed suit as India lost five wickets within 50 runs. Shivam Dube helped India to cross the 100-run mark; otherwise, the Men In Blue would have had a far more humiliating loss.

How India Can Qualify For T20 World Cup 2026 Semifinal

Both India and South Africa will face Zimbabwe and the West Indies in their next two matches. The simple equation for India will be to win both their games, provided South Africa also get the better of West Indies and Zimbabwe, respectively. In this case, India will go through as the second-best team in the group.

India can still go through with two more wins, but need to ensure one team fails to win all three matches. In this scenario, the winner of the Zimbabwe vs West Indies need to lose to South Africa. Only then will the two teams reach four points and the two sides with the best Net Run Rate will go through.

India can also advance if South Africa win one of their remaining two matches. In this case, the losing team against the Proteas must win the West Indies vs Zimbabwe clash. Another scenario could unfold if India lose to the team who also fail to win the ZIM vs WI clash. Provided the Proteas win both their games, this will level three teams on two points and NRR will be a huge factor here.

Also Read: 'When You Try to Be Too Smart...': Ajinkya Rahane Calls Out India For Dropping Axar Patel In Humbling T20 World Cup Super 8 Defeat To South Africa