India were not clinical in their fielding performance during the Super 8 clash of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against West Indies, which was nearly a virtual quarter-final for both sides, as the winner would qualify for the semifinal of the event and face England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai three evenings later. 

West Indies decided to form a new opening pair of captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase. The latter didn’t start well but got momentum with a flurry of boundaries. On the other hand, the issue was with Hope’s timing, who continued to struggle against his negative match-up with the left-arm spinner, Axar Patel. And finally, as many expected, Varun Chakravarthy came to draw the first blood.

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On the fifth delivery of the ninth over, Varun broke the stumps to send back Hope for 32 balls. It was always important for the Indian side to see their leg spinner coming back in form after being smashed for expensive economy in the previous two clashes.

Varun Chakravarthy sends back Shai Hope in T20 WC 2026 Super 8s 

On the fifth ball, Hope stayed on the leg side to access the off side. The ball skidded off the pitch and came in with the angle before sneaking under the bat to hit the middle of the middle stump and sent back the batter. India finally opened their account after a few missed chances of run-out and dropped catches.

Watch the video here: 

Varun strikes, and Eden Gardens erupts! 🌪️

The bowling change does the trick for #TeamIndia as skipper Shai Hope walks back! ☝️

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup, SUPER 8, #INDvWI | LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/Y26WH6p8dS pic.twitter.com/rPIjxyNNaS

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2026

Hope returned to the pavilion for a struggling knock of 32 runs in 33 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six. Chase has been good from the other end with unbeaten 38 runs in 22 balls with the help of five boundaries and one six as Shimron Hetmyer made his way into the middle.

Jasprit Bumrah had bowled one over of the innings and gave away seven runs, including the dropped catch in his over. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh bowled two good overs in the powerplay for 0/13 in two overs.

Brief Scores: WI 102/2 (Roston Chase 40*, Jasprit Bumrah 1/10) vs India.