ICC Prepares IPL Like Road For Team India At Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens, Kolkata [Source: X.com]

India will enter the crucial Super 8 clash against West Indies with renewed hope, mainly due to the pitch at Eden Gardens, which is expected to favour batting. According to chief curator Sujan Mukherjee, the surface for the match will be even-paced and good for stroke play.

Notably, this development could significantly help the Indian batters, who have struggled on slower tracks earlier in the tournament.

Eden Gardens likely to be batting-friendly

Mukherjee explained that the wicket at Eden Gardens has behaved well throughout the T20 World Cup 2026. Teams have already crossed the 200-run mark twice at this venue, which clearly shows that it supports aggressive batting.

Speaking to RevSportz, Mukherjee said: “200 runs will be chaseable while slow bowlers can be effective."

So far in the tournament, the pitches have been very different from the batting-friendly surfaces India usually plays on during bilateral series at home. Instead of flat tracks, the wickets have been slow, with the ball stopping after pitching.

As a result, Indian batters have found it difficult to score freely, and their top order has struggled with timing. Consequently, the team has not been able to post or chase big totals comfortably.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that pitch preparation in ICC tournaments falls under ICC oversight to ensure neutrality and fairness. The Eden Gardens surface is therefore likely to have been prepared in consultation with guidelines.

This issue became very clear in India’s Super Eight opener against South Africa, where they suffered a heavy 76-run defeat. That loss severely damaged India’s net run rate, pushing it down to -3.80.

At the same time, West Indies strengthened their position by thrashing Zimbabwe by 107 runs, which boosted their net run rate to a massive 5.35. Because of these contrasting results, India now finds itself under huge pressure in the group.

Eden Gardens has produced high-scoring matches in T20 World Cup 2026

It is important to note that Eden Gardens has already hosted five matches in this tournament, and most of them have been high-scoring contests.

Notably, England and Scotland both scored over 200 runs here. West Indies themselves posted 182/5 against Scotland earlier in the tournament and later scored 165/6 against Italy while batting first. These results further confirm that the pitch supports attacking cricket.

India’s chance to qualify for T20 World Cup semi-finals

To stay in contention for a semi-final spot, India must win both of their remaining Super 8 matches, against Zimbabwe and West Indies and also aim for big victory margins. However, even two wins may not guarantee qualification.

If West Indies defeat South Africa, India’s chances would become extremely slim due to their poor net run rate. Therefore, other match results will also influence India’s fate.

Ideally, India would want South Africa to beat West Indies. Then, if India win both of their matches, the final Super 8 encounter at Eden Gardens would effectively become a knockout or virtual quarter-final. Importantly, playing on a batting-friendly surface could finally give India the advantage they have been missing at other venues in this World Cup 2026.