India sits in the No. 1 position in the Group 1 points table of the Super 8 stage of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 with 4 points from two wins in two games. Despite this, the Men in Blue have not confirmed their berth in the semi-final match.
The equation would’ve been straightforward had Australia managed to defeat Afghanistan in their recent most match of the tournament. However, Afghanistan caused one of the biggest upsets in the T20 World Cup history and defeated Australia by 21 runs. This has thrown open Group 1 featuring India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Australia.
India currently leads Group 1 with four points and a considerably higher net run rate. Mitchell Marsh’s Australia is second, while Afghanistan is third, both with equal points, but their net run rate separates them.
Afghanistan overcame Australia earlier today, which helped them advance to the semi-finals, but they still have a lot of work to do. Rashid Khan and Co. will need to guarantee that they not only win Bangladesh but by a large margin, in their final Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup.
Here is what India needs to do to make it into the semi-final of the T20 World Cup
India will next face Australia in the final Super 8 match on Monday (June 24) at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia. For India to reach the last 4, they must win against Australia otherwise the scenario will become difficult for them.
If Australia and Afghanistan win their final Super 8 matches against India and Bangladesh, respectively, they will end the stage with four points. In this scenario, the top two teams will be determined by their net run rate.
At present, India’s net run rate is +2.425, while Australia’s is +0.223. However, it will change following the India-Australia match, depending on the margin of victory. Afghanistan’s NRR is -0.650, but they will overtake India if Rohit Sharma’s team loses by a large margin against Australia and Rashid Khan’s team defeats Bangladesh by a large margin on Tuesday (June 25) in St. Vincent.
If that happens, then Australia and Afghanistan will finish above India in the Group 1 points table and qualify for the semifinals.
As a result, the only way for India to qualify for the semi-finals is to defeat Mitchell Marsh’s side, or the match gets rained out.
Also If India loses against Australia but Afghanistan fails to beat Bangladesh on Tuesday, then India will qualify for the semifinals.
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