India’s path to the semi-finals has become difficult after the defeat by South Africa in the T20 World Cup. Now just winning the remaining 2 matches is not enough, but a big win is also necessary to improve the poor net run rate. The fate of the team now also depends on the results of other matches.
Chennai: The defeat against South Africa in the T20 World Cup has dealt a big blow to Team India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals. Now the situation is such that even if India wins its remaining two matches, the place in the semi-finals is not confirmed. Let us understand what the way forward is for Team India. A defeat has put the current champion Team India, which is considered the biggest contender to win the World Cup, in trouble. Now to reach the semi-finals, India will not only have to defeat Zimbabwe and West Indies, but will also have to depend on the results of other matches of the group.
India needs a big win, net run rate becomes the biggest villain
The West Indies team, which defeated Zimbabwe badly, is at number one in the group. Windies have a run rate of +5.350 with a huge win of 107 runs. South Africa, which defeated India, is at second place, whose run rate is +3.800. At the same time, India’s run rate, which is third in the group, is minus 3.800. This poor run rate is the biggest challenge for India. To improve this, India will have to register big wins in both its matches. To bring its net run rate to plus, if India bats first against Zimbabwe, it will have to win by at least 77 runs.
Difficult path to semi-finals! Hope rests on Zimbabwe and West Indies
For this, it will not be enough to just make a big score, but Zimbabwe, which has defeated a strong team like Australia, will also have to be restricted to a low score. However, it is a matter of relief for the fans that in T20 history, India has won 18 times by a margin of more than 77 runs. At the same time, if India chases the target, the challenge will become even more difficult. If Zimbabwe scores 150 runs, India will have to achieve this target by the 13th over. And if the score is 180 runs, then India will have to win the match till the last ball of the 14th over.
If India and South Africa win all their remaining matches, then South Africa will finish first in the group and India will reach the semi-finals by finishing second. But if South Africa loses one match and India wins both its matches, then the matter will become complicated. The match between South Africa and West Indies is very important for India. If the Windies beat South Africa, India’s path will become even more difficult. Then the three teams will have four points each and the net run rate will decide which team will go to the semi-finals.
If both Zimbabwe and West Indies defeat South Africa and India wins both their matches, then Suryakumar Yadav and his team can heave a sigh of relief. If India wins just one match, the semi-final hopes will be almost over. To reach the last four, South Africa will have to win three matches and India will have to beat West Indies.
In this situation, three teams will have two points each, and even then the decision of the other team will be based on the net run rate. Hopefully, Suryakumar Yadav and his team will not have to get into the trouble of these calculators and will achieve a spectacular victory on their own.