Despite the day's action against Zimbabwe, Indian fans will have their eyes set on the West Indies vs South Africa match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. After the loss to the Proteas, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. need all the help they can get in their race to reach the semi-finals. India could be out despite winning both their matches and hence hope South Africa can ease those concerns
After the loss to South Africa, the best case scenario for India is to win the next two matches. Ahead of the final Super 8 match against West Indies in Kolkata, the Men in Blue face off against Zimbabwe in Chennai.
Wins in both those matches would take them to 4 points, opening up a bunch of possible scenarios in Super Group 1. For an easy path, Surya and Co. will be hoping that South Africa can continue their performance and win all 3 matches, leaving India at the best position of fourth ahead of West Indies and Zimbabwe.
If West Indies win in Ahmedabad today, India could win both their matches and still miss out on qualification for the ICC T20 WC26 semi-finals. In this scenario, South Africa, India and West Indies will finish on 4 points with two wins each. Zimbabwe will finish with 0 points, provided South Africa beats them.
In that scenario, NRR will decide the fate. India's net run rate has suffered a major blow after the crushing defeat against the Proteas. West Indies' net run rate has also increased significantly due to the 107-run win over Zimbabwe. The Men in Blue will have to improve on this with big winning margins against West Indies and Zimbabwe.