World T20: How Can India Reach the Semi-Finals?

Indian-players-after-win-
India will be eyeing to win their last group league encounter against Australia at Mohali.

Internet Desk: India’s thrilling 1 run win against Bangladesh on Wednesday keep Dhoni and his men in the hunt for a semi final berth of the World T2O. With New Zealand virtually guaranteed of a berth in the semi finals, India’s fight is with the Australians for a spot in the last four from Group 2. India is due to play against the 50 over World Champions in the last group league encounter on March 27 in Mohali. For India to guarantee themselves a berth in the semis, here are the equation:

Equation 1: India need to win their last group league match against the Aussies at Mohali on March 27 which will ensure them a place in the semis with 3 wins under its belt.

Equation 2: If Australia loses to Pakistan tomorrow (March 25) then India can afford to lose its last match against the Aussies but definitely not by a bigger margin. But if Steve Smith’s team wins against Pakistan then it will be a virtual knockout match between the hosts and Australia. Ideally India would want Pakistan to win against the Aussies.

Equation 3: If Australia manage to win against Pakistan and the last group league encounter between India and Australia  is washed away then net run rate will come into effect. India who is now placed in the second position of the table would never want Aussies to win by a bigger margin against Pakistan. After playing three matches India’s net run rate is -0.546.

Here are the qualifying scenarios for India and Australia in Group 2

New Zealand (P – 3, W – 3, Points – 6)

Matches to be played: Bangladesh (March 26)

New Zealand have become the first team to seal their spot in the knock-out games thanks to their 22-run win over Pakistan. They will be hoping to finish with a win against Bangladesh in order to seal the top spot in the group.

India (P – 3, W – 2, Points – 4)

Matches to be played: Australia (March 27)

With New Zealand’s victory over Pakistan, only one spot remains in Group 2. India’s equation is simple. They must defeat Australia in their last league game to qualify. A loss against Australia  means that they will have to rely on Pakistan beating Australia by a small margin to stay alive. India did lose a golden opportunity to increase the net run rate  as they failed to win by a bigger margin against Bangladesh.

Australia (P – 2, W – 1, Points – 2)

Matches to be played: Pakistan (March 25), India (March 27)

The pressure is also on Australia. Their next two games are against Pakistan and India are a must-win. A loss against either of these two teams could see them heading towards the exit door. However, a win against both the Asian giants will propel them in the semi-finals.