As it has been a glorious ritual of the Indian cricket team, the head coach of the Blue Brigade, Gautam Gambhir, has visited the Kalighat Mandir to take blessings ahead of their Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 against West Indies on March 01. Despite being called a Super 8 clash, this fixture holds the importance of a virtual quarter-final for both sides.

India lost their first Super 8 game against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as they crumbled under pressure, with the batting unit failing to stand before a formidable bowling attack of the Proteas. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and felt way short of the chase in the evening meeting.

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Meanwhile, they marked a strong comeback against Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai after two days, when they smashed a record score of 256 runs for the loss of four wickets in their allotted 20 overs. They restricted the opposition to 184 runs and claimed the victory by 72 runs.

Gautam Gambhir visits Kalighat Mandir ahead of IND vs WI T20 WC 2026 clash

West Indies also got the better of Zimbabwe at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when they collected 254 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs after Shimron Hetmyer clubbed a dashing knock of 85 runs in 34 balls with the help of seven boundaries and as many sixes.

Watch the video here: 

VIDEO | Indian Cricket Team Head Coach Gautam Gambhir visits Kolkata's Kalighat Mandir ahead of India's do-or-die match against the West Indies in the ongoing T20 World Cup.#ICCMensT20WorldCup #Kolkata

(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/GoLlXv8Jlo

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 28, 2026

But as many prayed for a South Africa victory against the Shai Hope-led side, the Caribbean side fell flat on its face and couldn’t come up with a good bowling performance. Their defeat means only a win or a no-result would take them to the third stage of the competition.

India and the West Indies, the two batting powerhouses, will meet at the Eden Gardens, where the Indian side remains unbeaten in four clashes of the T20I format. But the only result that would matter in the World Cup will be the Super 9 encounter on March 01. The winner will meet England in Mumbai for the first semifinal.