sports desk16 minutes ago
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To strengthen its position in the T20 World Cup, Team India will have to win all three matches in the Super-8. The team will face Bangladesh from 8 pm tonight, having defeated Afghanistan in the first match. India’s third and last match will be against Australia.
Team India will have to win all three matches in the Super-8 because India’s semi-final will be held in Guyana on June 27. There is no reserve day for matches where there is a high chance of rain. That means, if the semi-finals are cancelled, only the team which is on top of the points table by winning all the matches in the group will reach the finals. Know the path to India’s semi-finals and all the equations…
India defeated Afghanistan, will face Bangladesh today
India defeated Afghanistan by 47 runs on a difficult pitch in Barbados. With the big win, Team India increased its run rate to 2.35, but the team is at second place in the points table of Group-1. Because Australia defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs in its first match under DLS method. The team’s victory margin was less than India, but the run rate became better due to the DLS method. Australia is at number one in the table with a run rate of 2.47.
India’s second match will be played today against Bangladesh in Antigua at 8 pm. India played 13 T20s against Bangladesh, won 12 and lost only one. That means today India can win its second consecutive match in Super-8. With this victory the team will reach the top of the points table. However, the Kangaroo team will play its second match tomorrow from 6 am, by winning it by a big margin, it can come on top again.
India can reach semi-finals by winning 2 matches
India can also make it to the semi-finals by winning 2 matches in Super-8. Because in this condition, Bangladesh will lose 2 matches and if Australia also wins its second match tomorrow, then Afghanistan will also have its second defeat. This means that the teams of Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be out of the race for the semi-finals, because both of them will not be able to reach 4 points even after winning the last match. Whereas India and Australia will have 4 points each.
Last match against Australia, it is very important to win it
India and Australia will face each other in Group-1 of Super-8 on June 24 in St. Lucia. If we look at the current conditions, both the teams will play this match after winning 2 matches each. That means whichever team wins in St. Lucia, it will finish first in Group-1. Whereas, the losing team will make it to the semi-finals by finishing second.
Top 2 teams from both groups will play semi-finals
In Super-8, eight teams have been divided into 2 groups of 4 each. Group-1 consists of India, Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Whereas in Group-2 there are England, South Africa, West Indies and America. The teams finishing in top-2 positions in the points table of both the groups will play the semi-finals.
In a semi-final, the topper team of Group-1 will face the second-placed team of Group-2. Similarly, in the second semi-final, the first-placed team in Group-2 will face the second-placed team in Group-1.
Why is it important to reach the semi-finals by being number one?
First of all, it is important to be on top in the group so that we can compete with the weak team of the other group i.e. the second placed team. And the second reason is ICC rules. ICC had already decided before the tournament that if the semi-finals were canceled due to rain, then the team finishing first in the Super-8 points table would be considered the winner.
India’s semi-final in Guyana, heavy rain expected here
The ICC had already decided before the tournament that if India reached the semi-finals, the match would be held in Guyana. This match will start on June 27 at 8 pm Indian time. No reserve day has been kept for this, because according to West Indies time the match will start at 10:30 am.
If it rains in India’s semi-final, then there will be an extra time of 250 minutes i.e. 4 hours, 10 minutes. In this, if even 10-10 overs play is not possible between the two teams, then the match will be cancelled. In this condition, the topper team of Super-8 group will play the final.
There is a 70% chance of rain in Guyana on June 27, which means if India wants to strengthen its position in the semi-finals, the team will have to win all three matches in Group-1 and finish on the top of the points table. If Team India remains at second position after losing to Australia or Bangladesh then the team will remain at second position. In this situation, if the semi-finals are cancelled, India will not be able to reach the finals.
Is there no reserve day in the second semi-final also?
Another semi-final of the T20 World Cup will be played in Trinidad on June 27 from 6 am. This match will start on June 26 at 8:30 pm according to West Indies time. There is a 70% chance of rain on this day too, however, if the match does not take place on June 26, there will be an extra time of 60 minutes.
If the match still could not be held then June 27 has been kept as reserve day. On this day, extra time of 190 minutes i.e. 3 hours and 10 minutes will be available. There is a 60% chance of rain on June 27 also. If a game of 10-10 overs is not possible in 190 minutes then it will also be considered cancelled. Here too, only the team standing first in the points table of the Super-8 group will get the ticket for the final.
That is, the overall thing is that if the teams do not finish on top in the Super-8 stage, then they may have to face the loss of losing the semi-finals. If the semi-finals are cancelled, only the group topper teams will play the final. The final match will start on June 29 in Barbados at 8 pm Indian time. June 30 is the reserve day for this. There are less chances of rain in the city during this period.
