India won't make it to semi-finals: Former Pakistan pacer's shocking take
Published on Friday, 20 February 2026 at 11:33 pm
Ahmedabad: Former Pakistan left-arm quick Mohammad Amir has lit up the T20 World Cup 2026 conversation by declaring that defending champions India will fail to reach the semi-finals, a prediction that has stunned fans only days after he dismissed India opener Abhishek Sharma as a “slogger.”
Amir, speaking on the Pakistani chat show Haarna Mana Hai, forecast that South Africa and the West Indies, not Suryakumar Yadav’s India, will advance from Super 8s Group A. His assertion comes despite India sweeping through the group stage without a defeat, culminating in a Wednesday-night win over the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium that carried the hosts into the next phase.
Yet the 10th edition of the tournament has exposed fissures in India’s star-studded top order. Abhishek Sharma, promoted to open, has registered three successive ducks and is yet to score a run. Amir believes the frailty stretches deeper than one batter. “If you see their matches, the batting collapsed in all the games, barring the Pakistan contest,” he told the programme. “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.”
India’s path now runs through a demanding slate: they meet South Africa on Sunday, 22 February, in Ahmedabad; travel to Chennai to face Zimbabwe on 26 February; and close out the pool against the West Indies at Eden Gardens on 1 March. Amir is convinced the Proteas and the Caribbean side possess the firepower to exploit India’s wobbling line-up.
In Group B, Pakistan, New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka will contest the remaining two semi-final berths. Amir tipped Pakistan and New Zealand to progress, setting up the possibility of a high-stakes knockout without the sport’s most commercially powerful side. The Super 8s stage begins Saturday, 21 February, at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium where Pakistan face New Zealand in the curtain-raiser.
India’s camp has not yet responded to Amir’s remarks, but the 33-year-old’s words have already framed the Super 8s as a litmus test for a side that has dominated recent ICC events yet suddenly finds its credentials under fierce scrutiny.
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Source: yahoo
