Like the thousands of fans glued to their televisions hours before the start of India’s Super 8 match against Zimbabwe, the Indian team was also keenly watching the first match of Thursday’s doubleheader: South Africa vs. West Indies in Ahmedabad. While India needed nothing less than a win over Zimbabwe in Chennai, they also relied on South Africa to beat the Windies to ensure The men in blue’s journey to the semi-finals became a little less treacherous.
Arshdeep Singh and his father Darshan watched the drama unfold from their hotel room in Chennai.
Speaking to the media in the mixed zone after bowling India to a memorable victory over ZimbabweArshdeep recalled the experience of watching the afternoon match. In his inimitable style, the seamer added a touch of humor and admitted he had to calm his father down when the elder Singh started spewing colorful speech on the screen every time a West Indies batsman came off the rope.
“We didn’t watch the whole thing, but it sure was a swing,” quipped Arshdeep.
“My family was in the hotel room with me and whenever the West Indies batsmen hit a six, my father started shouting, ‘What on earth are you doing?’. He was spewing abuse. I had to calm him down and tell him not to get so upset. I told him to just enjoy the cricket and keep praying for South Africa to win.”
FAVORABLE RESULT IN AHMEDABAD
South Africa won the toss and chose the venue at the Narendra Modi Stadium – the same venue where India were thrashed by the Proteas by 76 runs a few days ago. West Indies, meanwhile, arrived full of confidence after a dominating win over Zimbabwe in Mumbai for a mammoth 254 all out.
However, the Windies batting collapsed on Thursday. They slumped to 63-5 and then 83-7 before a gritty 89-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd took them to a respectable 176-8.
Despite this late fightback, West Indies lacked the teeth to hold on to the South African top order. Aiden Markram’s 82 off 46 balls saw Proteas chase down the target in just 16.1 overs. Quinton de Kock smashed 47 off 24 balls and Ryan Rickelton chipped in with 45 as the Proteas comfortably sealed their semi-final berth.
Ever the savvy, Arshdeep was quick to thank South Africa for the assist. “South Africa played brilliantly. We are grateful; they gave us the opportunity to take our destiny into our own hands. It was great fun to watch – proper cricket. We will definitely try to beat them if we meet in the final though!”
DOUBLE DELIGHTS FOR INDIA
It turned out to be a day of double joy for the Indian supporters. The Men in Blue piled up 258 against Zimbabwe before cruising to a 72-run victory. It was a collective batting masterclass led by half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya. On the bowling front, Arshdeep claimed three wickets as Zimbabwe trailed despite a sensational unbeaten 97 from Brian Bennett.
Tilak Varma, shifted to the role of finisher for the day, also admitted to watching the afternoon’s proceedings with bated breath.
“We all looked at it and knew it was a good wicket and that the West Indies didn’t bowl enough. Knowing the form the South Africans were in, we knew they would make it. The game was over before it really started,” he noted.
NOW EYES ON THE SEMI-FINALS
Senior pro Hardik Pandya, fresh off his flamboyant fifty, noted that while the team was naturally nervous watching the previous result, they quickly turned to the task at hand.
“We all watched the South Africa-West Indies match,” admitted Hardik. “But once that was settled, it was about supporting our skills, absorbing the pressure and putting our best foot forward. Once their game was over, our focus shifted completely to our own performance.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher now. India will take on the West Indies in a virtual quarter-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata this Sunday. Meanwhile, South Africa, who have already booked their semi-final berth, will take on Zimbabwe in New Delhi where the ‘Chevrons’ will look to leave a lasting impression in their final appearance at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
27 Feb 2026 02:33 IST
