“There’s A Hope”: India can still qualify for the Semi-Finals
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What started with hope and admiration has slowly turned into heartbreak and despair. Team India suffered a morale-shattering loss against arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening game which punctured the spirits of the Indian fans. However, they were hopeful that the team will make a thumping comeback.
Much to their despair, King Kohli’s men had another awful outing against the Kiwis. Not only did the Kiwis expose the fragile Indian batting order, but also smashed the Indian bowlers at will finishing the game in less than 5 overs which has pushed India’s net run rate further down.
India came into the tournament as a firm favorite. The fact that all the players in the Indian World Cup squad got an ample amount of match time at the UAE pitches during the IPL suffered so badly against Pakistan and England is really baffling. Moreover, the Indian bowlers who were able to leave a lasting impact in the IPL also looked completely off-color in both the Super 12 matches.
India’s chances now rest on the shoulders of Afghanistan
However, all is not lost for the Indian team and enthusiastic fans. The men in blue still have a chance of making their way into the semis. For starters, India’s chances are now dependent on other teams. Afghanistan needs to defeat New Zealand at all costs to make way for the Indian team.
Post that, the Indian team needs to win the rest of their games, and that too with huge margins in order to make up for the net run rate. Moreover, even if Afghanistan defeats New Zealand, they need to lose with a huge margin against India as the Afghans have a spectacular net run rate.
In addition to this, if Afghanistan fails to defeat New Zealand, India still has an outside chance to enter into the semis. If anyone from Scotland or Namibia ends up defeating New Zealand and India still manages to win all their matches with incredibly huge margins, then they still can still fancy their chances of finishing in the top two in the group.
Team India is languishing at the second last position in the points table. The best-case scenario for India is to win their remaining matches with massive margins and pray that other results go in the team’s favor. Without a doubt, all of India will now be rooting for Afghanistan in their clash against the Kiwis.
India’s Net Run Rate is best in the group
Having beaten the likes of Afghanistan and Scotland with ease, India’s NRR has skyrocketed to +1.619, the highest in the group. The Men in Blue toppled Scotland in a comprehensive win as they chased down the target in just 39 deliveries giving their run rate a huge bump.
This steep rise in the run rate has brought them back into the fray for a semifinal berth. But yet their fates are not in their own hands. The top two finishers of Group B will be virtually decided when New Zealand take on Afghanistan. If the Afghans do pull off the improbable, India will have a foot in the semifinals when they take on Namibia in their final group game.
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Shubham Bhargava
(1813 Articles Published)