How can Pakistan still face India in 2023 World Cup?
Team India and arch-rivals Pakistan have exhibited contrasting performances so far in the 2023 World Cup. While the Men in Blue have been dominant, winning all five games, Babar Azam's side has stumbled horrendously following an impressive start.
Pakistan won their opening two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka but has since suffered defeats to India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa to find themselves on the brink of semi-final. At two wins and four losses, the Men in Green will need a miracle to qualify for the top four.
Meanwhile, India has all but qualified for the semi-final with their string of victories that included a seven-wicket disposal of Pakistan. The Men in Green's latest defeat to South Africa by one wicket has left fans wondering if there is any possibility of another India-Pakistan clash in the 2023 World Cup.
While the chances for the marquee encounter are bordering on improbable, thanks to Pakistan's semi-final hopes hanging by a thread, it isn't mathematically impossible yet.
However, for the dream matchup to come to fruition, it is incumbent upon Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final. Given the current scenario of the points table, Team India are likely to finish in the top two, and the best Pakistan can hope for is a fourth-place finish.
Even for that, Pakistan will have to win all their remaining three games and probably do it by a decent margin to bolster the net run rate. Apart from that, they will also need one of Australia or New Zealand to lose all or at least three out of the four remaining matches.
If such a turnaround were to occur, Pakistan could finish fourth and face off against India in the semi-final, assuming India tops the points table. Should India finish second or third and Pakistan fourth, then the two sides can meet only in the grand finale upon winning their respective semi-finals.
India and Pakistan last played in the semi-final of an ODI World Cup in 2011
While it is a well-known fact that India has beaten Pakistan in all eight ODI World Cup meetings, only two of those have been knockout affairs.
Both instances happened in India, with the 1996 World Cup quarter-final being one and the 2011 semi-final being the other. The 2011 clash was also the last instance of the two arch-rivals facing off in a knockout game.
In front of a packed crowd in Mohali, MS Dhoni's Indian side batted first and scored a competitive 260/9 in 50 overs. The Little Master Sachin Tendulkar scored a defiant 85 off 115 deliveries with several noteworthy contributions from Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni, and Suresh Raina.
Pakistan began their reply with a well-paced 44-run opening partnership before regular wickets reduced them to 150/6 by the 37th over. Despite a late flurry from Misbah-ul-Haq, the 1992 world champions fell short by 29 runs.
On the back of this resounding victory, Team India went on to clinch their second ODI World Cup title against Sri Lanka in the summit clash.