Women’s T20 World Cup: India’s Semis Chances Grim

Women’s T20 World Cup: Why India’s Semis Chances Look Grim

India finally registered their first win in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, defeating Pakistan by six wickets. However, they still have a lot to do to qualify for the semi-finals.

On October 6, India opened their account at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, beating Pakistan. After opting to bat first, Pakistan scored 105/8 in their allotted 20 overs, with Nida Dar top-scoring with 28 (34) runs.

In response, India chased down the target in 18.5 overs, thanks to contributions from Shafali Verma (32 off 35) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (29* off 24). Arundhati Reddy was named Player of the Match for her career-best figures of 3/19.

Following this victory, India sits in fourth place in the five-team group, with one win from two matches and a net run rate (NRR) of -1.217. Their win improved their NRR slightly from -2.90 to -1.217.

To improve their NRR into positive, India needed to chase the target in 11 overs, which would have brought their NRR to +0.084. However, they missed this opportunity as openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana (7 off 16) got off to a cautious start.

India now has the second-worst NRR in Group A, trailing behind New Zealand (+2.900), Australia (+1.908), and Pakistan (+0.555). The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will next face Sri Lanka on October 9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The Asia Cup champions are yet to secure their first win in the tournament, having lost to both Pakistan and Australia. India desperately needs to beat Sri Lanka by a significant margin to boost their NRR.

If they fail to improve their NRR, they will rely on New Zealand to defeat Australia. In such a scenario, India could advance to the semi-finals by winning their last two fixtures against Sri Lanka and Australia. Therefore, their next match is crucial, as it may well decide their fate in the tournament.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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