[WATCH] T20 World Cup 2026: Ahmed Shehzad makes bold prediction supporting India ahead of West Indies clash

Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad expressed full confidence that India will defeat West Indies and book their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal. He described the contest as a virtual quarter-final and backed the Men in Blue to handle the pressure in Kolkata.

Shehzad’s prediction came in response to former Pakistan pacer Mohammed Amir, who suggested that India could be knocked out in the Super 8 stage. Disagreeing strongly, Shehzad not only countered Amir’s claim but also raised the stakes around his own prediction.

“If India win the match, we will take the title of ‘astrologer’ from Amir. And if India fail to reach the semifinals, I will quit this show,” Shehzad said on the show ‘Haarna Mana Hai’.

This edition of the T20 World Cup has highlighted the remarkable depth across various batting units, along with the growing tendency of batters to embrace a high-risk, high-reward approach. A clear example of this fearless mindset is the West Indies cricket team. They are known historically for their power-hitting and has once again leaned heavily into explosive batting, backing their depth to recover even if early wickets fall.

“I don’t think there’s many line-ups that can boast of Romario Shepherd walking in at number nine. I think that’s also a feature of all the teams in the tournament now. Certainly the teams that have done well. England bat really deep. New Zealand bats really deep. India bats really deep. We have the luxury of someone like Axar, if he doesn’t come in early, coming in at eight.” When the teams are playing the proverbial attack at all cost game, then the strategy of containment doesn’t necessarily work,” said Ryan ten Doeschate as quoted by NDTV Sports.

Ten Doeschate conceded that taking wickets will be the key to tightening India’s grip on the Caribbean side. He emphasised that against a power-packed West Indies batting unit, breakthroughs at regular intervals will be crucial to prevent them from building momentum. The pitch in Kolkata has largely favoured batters, offering true bounce and good carry, which makes containing runs and picking wickets comparatively more difficult.

“So you have to focus on taking wickets. I think that old-school way of just containing for 20 overs has gone out of fashion. We feel West Indies play a risk-reward game of high proportion in both aspects of that. As a bowling unit, we’re really looking forward to that challenge. We know there’s chinks. There’s where we can get wickets. Our plan tomorrow will be to attack for the whole 20 overs and take them back in that very much like South Africa did,” said Ten Doeschate.

“It’s certainly going to be a challenge. The surface looks pretty good, so it could be a hard-scoring game. As well as throwing punches with the ball, we have to make sure that we’re brave with the bat as well and maintain a high strike rate and high intent throughout the inning as well,” he added.