Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: India gave a new lease of life to their scratchy campaign in the Women’s T20 World Cup with a big 82-run win over Sri Lanka in their penultimate Group A match on Wednesday.
This win significantly boosted their chances of qualifying for the semifinals, propelling them to the second spot in the points table.
With this emphatic win, India now have four points from three matches, with one game remaining, where they will face defending champions Australia on Sunday.
To secure a top-two spot in their group, India will need to replicate their strong performance against Australia and maintain a superior net run rate (NRR) over Pakistan and New Zealand if the standings come down to that.
Scenarios for India’s progression
- If India win their match against Australia, they will finish with six points. However, if New Zealand also win their remaining matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and Australia beat Pakistan, all three teams – India, New Zealand, and Australia – will have six points each. In this scenario, net run rate (NRR) will determine which two teams advance to the semifinals from Group A.
- India’s win over Sri Lanka dropped Pakistan to third place, but with two matches left in the group, Pakistan still have a chance. If Pakistan defeat both Australia and New Zealand in their remaining games, and India also beat Australia, the defending champions will be knocked out, allowing India and Pakistan to advance to the semifinals from Group A.
- If Australia win all their remaining matches, another scenario could emerge where India, Pakistan and New Zealand (assuming one win & one loss in remaining two matches for Pak & NZ) all finish with four points each. In this case, net run rate (NRR) will again come into play to determine which team secures the second spot in the group and advances to the semifinals.
