Kamal Ghorui
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has once again made headlines with his bold predictions about India’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Just days after labelling Abhishek Sharma as a “slogger,” Amir has now targeted the entire Indian team, claiming the defending champions will not make it to the semi-finals. According to him, Suryakumar Yadav’s India, unbeaten in the last three ICC events, will fail to progress beyond Super 8s Group A. India defeated the Netherlands in their last group-stage match on Wednesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, advancing to the Super 8s without dropping a single match in the tenth edition of the T20 World Cup. Despite this, the team’s performance has been far from flawless, with the batting side leaving much to be desired.
For starters, Abhishek Sharma is yet to open his account in the tournament, recording three consecutive ducks. Looking at India’s batting so far, Amir suggested that teams like South Africa and the West Indies could exploit the side’s weaknesses. During the ‘Haarna Mana Hai’ show, the anchor asked Amir about his semi-final predictions from Group A of the Super 8s. Amir replied, “South Africa and the West Indies.” When the anchor remarked that he didn’t think India would make it to the last four, Amir shook his head firmly. “If you see their matches, the batting collapsed in all the games, barring the Pakistan contest. The pressure will rise in the Super 8 matches. The way in which South Africa and the West Indies have been playing, they can beat any team,” he said while explaining why he doesn’t see India reaching the semi-finals. India will start their Super 8s campaign on Sunday, February 22, against South Africa in Ahmedabad. The team will then travel to Chennai to face Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 26. Their final Super 8s match will be against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on March 1. Meanwhile, in Group B, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, and Sri Lanka will compete for two semi-final spots. Amir has predicted that Pakistan and New Zealand will advance from the group. The Super 8s stage will begin on Saturday, February 21, in Colombo with Pakistan facing New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium.
