NEW DELHI: As the ICC Women's T20 World Cup enters the crucial stages of the group phase, India's semi-final chances will be impacted by the outcome of each match in Group A from here on as their fate is not entirely in their hands.
Friday's Australia's match against Pakistan will also have a huge impact on India's chances. With both Australia and India tied on four points at the top of Group A, the results of the remaining group matches will determine which teams advance to the knock-out stage.
Group A overview Australia currently lead Group A due to a superior net run rate (NRR) over India, with both teams having secured four points each. Australia have two matches left - against Pakistan and India - while Harmanpreet Kaur-led side's final group game will be against the Aussies. New Zealand, with two matches in hand, are also in the hunt for a semi-final spot, making the race for the top two spots highly competitive.
Group A Standings- Australia - M 2 | W 2|L 0 | Points 4 | NRR +2.524
- India - M 3 | W 2 | L 1 | Points 4 | NRR +0.576
- Pakistan - M 2 | W 1 | L 1 | Points 2 | NRR +0.555
- New Zealand - M 2 | W 1 | L 1 | Points 2 | NRR -0.050
- Sri Lanka - M 3 | W 0 | L 3 | Points 0 | NRR -2.564
Scenarios impacting India's path to semis Scenario 1: Australia defeat PakistanIf Australia win today, they will move to six points, virtually securing a semi-final spot. Pakistan, on the other hand, will be almost out of the race as a win against New Zealand in their last group match will take them to only four points.
Impact on India's chances: India will then need to compete with New Zealand for the remaining semi-final slot. New Zealand still have two matches left - against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Should they win both, New Zealand would also reach six points.
What India need: In this scenario, India must win their final match against Australia to also reach six points. This would lead to a three-way tie between India, Australia, and New Zealand, with the semi-finalists determined by NRR.
Scenario 2: Pakistan upset AustraliaIf Pakistan defeat Australia, the group will become even more competitive, with Pakistan, Australia, and India all tied at four points.
Impact on India's chances: A Pakistan win would mean that if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka on Saturday, all four teams - India, Australia, Pakistan, and New Zealand - would be tied on four points each, making it a four-way race.
What India need: In this scenario, India's match against Australia becomes a must-win, as the winners of the final group matches - India vs Australia on Sunday and Pakistan vs New Zealand on Monday - would advance to the semi-finals.
In both the scenarios, India have to beat Australia in their final group match to remain in the contention for a semi-final spot. Defeat against the defending champions Australia will leave India's fate entirely on other results, a scenario they would surely like to avoid.
Hijam Raju Singh is the Assistant News Editor at the Times of Ind...
Read MoreHijam Raju Singh is the Assistant News Editor at the Times of India Online. A journalism and mass communication graduate, he has over 18 years' experience as a journalist, 17 of which have been spent covering sports. He has been part of the Times of India Online Sports Desk for more than 16 years. He loves all sports, with special interest in football, tennis, cricket and golf. He writes analytical and statistical articles on cricket, football, tennis etc.
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