Women's T20 World Cup: Can India qualify for semi-finals?
What's the story
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 has seen a thrilling competition in Group A, aka the "group of death."
New Zealand had upset the balance by defeating India in the first match. However, recent developments have kept the race for qualification wide open.
Sri Lanka is now out of contention after three consecutive losses, while India have climbed back up on the NRR scale.
Let's decode India's qualification chances.
Match outcome
India's victory over Sri Lanka boosts semi-final hopes
India's commanding 82-run win over Sri Lanka has boosted their semi-final hopes considerably.
The win puts them second in Group A with four points from three games.
India's net run rate (+0.576) is only second to table-toppers Australia (+2.524) in Group A.
To finish in the top two, they will require another emphatic performance against Australia, where net run rate could come into play.
Harmanpreet Kaur's blistering half-century and disciplined bowling kept Sri Lanka at bay in this important game.
Future prospects
Scenarios for India's progression to semi-finals
If India beat Australia in their last league match, they will end with six points.
However, if New Zealand win their remaining matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and Australia beats Pakistan, all three - India, New Zealand, and Australia - will have six points each.
In this case, net run rate (NRR) will decide which two teams progress to the semi-finals from Group A.
Pakistan's role
Pakistan's potential impact on Group A standings
India's win over Sri Lanka has pushed Pakistan to the third spot in the group.
However, with two matches remaining, Pakistan still have an opportunity to upset the table.
If they beat Australia and New Zealand in their remaining matches, and India beat Australia, the defending champions will be knocked out.
This will see India and Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals from Group A.
Australia's influence
Australia's performance could lead to NRR deciding factor
If Australia win all their remaining matches, we could see another scenario where India, Pakistan and New Zealand all finish with four points each.
Here, net run rate (NRR) will again come into play to decide which team takes the second spot in the group and progresses to the semi-finals.
This potential outcome emphasizes the importance of not just match wins but also run rates in a team's progression in the tournament.