Three consecutive defeats—against South Africa, Australia, and now England—have cast a shadow over the Indian women’s cricket team’s World Cup campaign. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team lost by just four runs in a thrilling match in Indore on Sunday. At one point, the Indian team looked in a strong position, but a few poor shots cost them the match. Following this setback, the biggest question on the minds of millions of fans is: can Team India still make it to the semi-finals? Don’t worry! The math isn’t completely settled yet. Let’s find out the full equation for reaching the semi-finals.
The Path to the Semi-Finals
Despite the tough loss to England, Team India can still reach the semi-finals, but it has now become a do-or-die situation. With four points from five matches, the Indian team remains in fourth place. New Zealand also has four points, but its net run rate is lower than India’s.
The easiest path for Team India to reach the semi-finals is to win both of its remaining matches consecutively. The Indian team still has two matches to play, against New Zealand and Bangladesh. A resounding victory in both of these matches will secure Team India’s place in the semi-finals.
What if we lose one match
But if India loses one of its remaining two matches, the path to qualification will become difficult again. In such a scenario, Team India’s entry into the semi-finals will depend on New Zealand’s defeat, and India will also need to win the matches it wins by a large margin to maintain its net run rate. Overall, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team still has a golden opportunity to reach the semi-finals.
The thrill of the India-England match
In the match played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, England, batting first, posted a strong total of 288 runs in 50 overs. Heather Knight scored a powerful century of 109 runs off just 91 balls, while wicketkeeper Amy Jones also scored 56 runs. The Indian bowling department was impressive, with Deepti Sharma taking four wickets and Shree Charni taking two.
In response, the Indian team put up a valiant batting performance. Smriti Mandhana scored 88 runs, captain Harmanpreet Kaur scored 70 runs, and Deepti Sharma scored a brilliant half-century of 50 runs. Despite three excellent innings, Team India fell just four runs short of the target, losing the match. Team India will now have to use their full strength and best game to move forward.