Chances for India to qualify for semi-finals: There is no hiding to the fact that India need a miracle to qualify for the next round.
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The ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is entering its business end now. A high-profile double-header on Saturday will culminate Round 2 as far as the Group 1 is concerned.
Round 2, which is also known as Super 12s, comprises of 12 teams (eight top-ranked teams and four qualifying teams from Round 1). These 12 teams have been divided into two groups namely Group 1 and Group 2.
With each group comprising of six teams each, each team will play a total of five matches in Round 2. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
Hence, only four teams will qualify from Super 12s to the next round. It is worth mentioning that the two semi-finals will be played on November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively.
What are the chances for India to qualify for 2021 T20 World Cup semi finals?
India, who are currently at the fourth position in Group 2 on the back of winning one and losing two matches, need a miracle to qualify for the semi-finals. Playing their fourth match against Scotland right now, it goes without saying that India need to win both tonight and against Namibia on November 8.
A couple of wins will increase India’s points to 6 at the end of the group stage. While New Zealand are also at 6, Afghanistan are at 4 at this point in time. Therefore, New Zealand vs Afghanistan match on November 7 becomes all the more crucial from an Indian perspective.
For India to qualify, a compulsion lies in a daunting result in the form of Afghanistan beating New Zealand. A win for New Zealand will convert the India-Namibia match into a dead-rubber.
Assuming that Afghanistan register a victory on Sunday, all the focus will be on NRR (Net Run Rate) of New Zealand (1.277), Afghanistan (1.481) and India (0.073). The team with a better NRR will qualify in such a scenario. A slight advantage for India (if Afghanistan win) will be that they will know exactly what to do as India-Namibia match is the last league match of this World Cup.
