How can India qualify for 2024 Women's T20 World Cup semifinal after their 6-wicket win over Pakistan?
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by six wickets in match seven of the ICC Women's 2024 T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, October 6. With the triumph achieved with seven balls to spare, the Women in Blue kept their hopes of progressing to the semifinals alive.
Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first in the Group A match. India, however, came up with a competent bowling effort to restrict their opponents to 105-8. Arundhati Reddy starred for India with 3-19, while off-spinner Shreyanka Patil picked up 2-12. For Pakistan, Nida Dar top-scored with 28 off 34 balls.
Chasing 106, India lost Smriti Mandhana for seven. However, Shafali Verma (32 off 35) and Jemimah Rodrigues (23 off 28) anchored the innings for the Women in Blue. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also contributed 29 off 24 before retiring hurt.
India need to win remaining matches to stay in hunt in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup semifinal race
India managed to keep their T20 World Cup semifinal hopes alive with a win over Pakistan. However, they need to beat Sri Lanka and Australia, preferably by big margins, in their remaining two Group A matches. The Women in Blue will face Sri Lanka on October 9 in Dubai and the Aussies on October 13 in Sharjah.
Following their victory over Pakistan, India find themselves in fourth position in the Group A points table. Both India and Pakistan have two points from two games, but the Women in Blue have an inferior net run rate of -1.217. New Zealand and Australia currently occupy the top two slots in the Group A points table, but the White Ferns are in first position due to a better net run rate.
If India manage to beat Sri Lanka and defending champions Australia by significant margins and New Zealand also beat Australia, India and the Kiwis stand a good chance of making the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.
A win for both India and New Zealand over Australia would mean that the Aussies would be stuck on four points, even if they beat Pakistan. However, that is easier said than done as Australia have a superior record over India in the T20 World Cup.
In the event of Australia winning all their remaining matches and finishing on eight points, India will have to hope that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan defeat New Zealand. In such a scenario, the Kiwis will get stuck on two points. If India also get the better of Sri Lanka, both the Women in Blue and Pakistan will end the group stage on four points each. The net run rate will then decide who goes through.