T20 World Cup 2022: How can Team India qualify for the semi-finals?

Team India's path to a potential semi-final berth in the T20 World Cup 2022 has taken yet another turn following Pakistan's 33-run win (D/L method) over South Africa on Thursday, November 3, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

The crucial result means that Pakistan are still alive in the tournament despite losing their first two matches. The Men in Green stepped up with an all-round performance to beat South Africa, thereby handing the Proteas their first loss of the tournament.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan were in a state of bother after once again losing their opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan inside the powerplay. Half-centuries from Iftikhar Ahmed and vice-captain Shadab Khan propelled the side to post a commanding 185-9 in their 20 overs.

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The Pakistan pace unit then stepped up to the task with the early wicket of Quinton de Kock before Shadab worked his magic with the wet ball. He claimed two wickets in the eighth over before rain interrupted play.

Stunning death bowling by Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Naseem Khan meant that they seized the contest by a significant margin, propelling their net run rate to +1.117 with one match remaining.

Team India’s semi-final qualification scenario in T20 World Cup 2022

Had South Africa secured a win over Pakistan, India's inclusion into the semi-finals would have been almost certain. However, since that is not the case, the race is still pretty wide open, with no team securing qualification yet.

The Men in Blue's last Super 12 contest will be against Zimbabwe. If they secure a win over Craig Ervine and Co., not only will they qualify, they will also secure the top spot in the group, as no other team can reach eight points.

However, should they lose their final group game, that leaves them with six points, which will bring their net run rate into play regardless of the result between the Pakistan-Bangladesh contest as both teams have four points.

India (+0.730) currently have a lower net run rate compared to Pakistan (+1.117) and South Africa (1.441), but they have a vastly superior net run rate over Bangladesh (-1.276).

Here’s the updated Points Table after Pakistan’s win over South Africa.

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If rain forces India's match against Zimbabwe to be abandoned, leading to both sides splitting points, that scenario also bodes well for the Men in Blue as they will end with seven points, which is enough to progress. In that case, however, they will likely finish second with South Africa slated to face the Netherlands in their last group game.

India will take on Zimbabwe on Sunday, November 6, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Will Rohit Sharma and co. qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.