After the events of 19 November 2023, one would scarcely have imagined Indians donning yellow at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Yet, on Thursday, they did so — and with pride. Not the Australian yellow, but the South African one. And, unlike Suryakumar Yadav’s side on 22 February, they were not let down by Aiden Markram’s South Africa, who defeated West Indies by 9 wickets to hand India a major boost in the race to the semi-finals for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
The Narendra Modi Stadium has been inundated with accusations of serving a subdued atmosphere when the game situation does not favour the Indian cricket team. During India’s game against South Africa, pacer Arshdeep Singh had even been seen trying to rouse the crowd amid a Proteas onslaught, but enthusiasm was scarce.
On 26 February, a similar hush descended upon the 28,000-odd spectators after just two overs of the Super 8 clash. Completely aware of the potentially damaging consequences of a West Indian victory, much of the 28,000-odd, if not all, were supporting the Proteas. In accordance, the kit vendors outside the stadium stacked their collection of yellow shirts, and made hay while the sun was still shining.
Bizarre Batting Display From West Indies
But after two overs, when West Indies’ score read 29/0, one could hear a pin drop. Keshav Maharaj, who took three wickets against India, conceded 17 runs in the first over. Marco Jansen, who has scalped eight wickets in his last two matches, conceded 12 runs in the second over. The first couple of overs left the Ahmedabad crowd stunned.
Fortunately for them, the South African bowlers were not. Fortunately for them, the South African bowlers were not. What has powered South Africa to six successive wins in this tournament is the timely contribution of almost every member of their XI.
When both Jansen and Maharaj — form bowlers with wickets aplenty to their name — were taken to the cleaners by the West Indies openers, Kagiso Rabada — who went wicketless in the last three matches — was introduced in the third over and he not only provided the breatkthrough in the form of Shai Hope’s wicket, but also sent Shimron Hetmyer packing.
In the next over, Lungi Ngidi — who has been having an incredible tournament with the ball — replicated his compatriot by adding two more wickets to his tally, with Brandon King and Roston Chase losing their wickets.
The collapse had been triggered. From there until the 11th over, two patterns persisted: runs kept flowing, but wickets fell just as rapidly. Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Matthew Forde managed only 32 runs collectively, and by 10.2 overs, West Indies were reeling at 83/7.
Sensing South Africa were about to provide India a crucial lifeline, the crowd’s energy returned — only to be dampened by a superb 89-run eighth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd.
Holder rarely gets extended batting opportunities in a deep West Indian batting order, but when he does, he seldom fails. The veteran all-rounder had scored a 17-ball 33 against England, and here in Ahmedabad, he scored a 31-ball 49.
Holder alone, though, would not have taken his team to a competitive total, had Romario Shepherd not matched him stride for stride. The latter brought his maiden T20I half-century in this fixture, and he did so at a time West Indies were staring at what would have been an embarrassing defeat. In 37 deliveries, Shepherd scored 52 runs.
Top Three Seal the Deal for South Africa
Though the red-soil surface in Ahmedabad is typically conducive to high scores, a target of 177 appeared competitive, especially given that West Indies had lost seven wickets with nearly ten overs to spare.
The tension was palpable among the crowd, but their worries were alleviated by Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock. The South African captain had a rare blip in the previous fixture against India, but the comeback was on display for everyone to see. The skipper scored an unbeaten 46-ball 82, which is his third-highest score in this format of the match. Interestingly, three of his seven highest scores have come on this venue.
De Kock, on the contrary, would be relieved to have runs under his belt after three underwhelming outings. Following a half-century against Afghanistan, he had failed to score north of 20 runs in any of the last three fixture against India, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, but ahead of the semi-finals, he rediscovered his touch with a 24-ball 47.
The victory eventually came in the 17th over. Ryan Rickelton deserves a mention, for he played his part with an unbeaten 28-ball 45. With this victory, South Africa have a foot and a half in the semis, awaiting only mathematical confirmation following the next round of matches.
The more significant outcome, though, is that their victory sets up a virtual quarter-final tie between West Indies and India on 1 March, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with Net Run Rate (NRR) now being taken out of the equation.
Provided, of course, India beat Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai later today.