Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table: Updated standings after India vs Australia matchÂ
Team India suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Australia in their final group game at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup on Sunday, October 13. The Women in Blue fell short by nine runs in the clash in Sharjah, severely hampering their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
After electing to bat first, Australia were rocked by a double strike by Renuka Singh Thakur in the early stages of the powerplay. From a precarious situation at 17-2, the duo of Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath assessed the situation to guide Australia to safety. The rest of the Australian batters chipped in with some impactful cameos to help cross the 150-run mark.
Shafali Verma gave her side the early spark, but the Australian bowlers dismantled India's top order in no time. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma put on a crucial partnership in the middle overs but felt the pressure of the ever-rising required rate.
The duo instilled some hope by scoring a slew of boundaries, but Australia managed to pull things back. Sophie Molineux dismissed Deepti Sharma in the 16th over while Megan Schutt followed it up by conceding only one run off the next over, which included Richa Ghosh's wicket. Kaur fought till the end, playing a captain's knock, but it proved to be not enough as Australia sealed the deal to finish the group stage unbeaten.
Australia secured their semi-final berth with the win, and have assured the top spot in Group A as well with their impressive eight-point tally. Their final net run-rate reads at +2.223 after the close encounter against India.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. end their group stage with four points following their losses to New Zealand and Australia. Only time will tell whether their four points and a net run-rate of +0.322 will be enough for a potential semi-final berth.
India's net-run rate is only marginally ahead of third-placed New Zealand's which reads at +0.282 after their win over Sri Lanka recently.
India's fate rests on the final Group A match between New Zealand and Pakistan
The final Group A contest will see New Zealand take on Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday, October 14. A win for Sophie Devine and Co. will seal their qualification as they will finish with six points, enough for the second place.
On the other hand, if New Zealand lose, they will end up level on points with both India and Pakistan. It will ensure a three-way battle for one spot on the basis of net run-rate. Pakistan's progression is highly unlikely because of their inferior net run rate of -0.488. In that case, it will be more of a straight shootout between India and New Zealand for the last slot.