T20 World Cup – IND vs AFG: India kept their semi-finals hopes alive after finally opening their account in the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul smashed half-centuries while Mohammed Shami bagged three wickets as India clinched their first win by beating Afghanistan by 66 runs. With two games left to play against minnows Scotland & Namibia, India’s chances of making it to the final four relies a lot on the Afghanistan-New Zealand clash on Sunday, November 07. Follow InsideSport.in for more T20 World Cup latest updates.
IND vs AFG: ‘Afghanistan-New Zealand is a crucial match for India’ says Rohit Sharma after win over Afghanistan
India’s 63 runs win over Afghanistan boosted their Net Run Rate and the Men in Blue climbed over Namibia to fourth in the table.
With Pakistan having already qualified from Group 2, it’s a three-way race between India, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. The Men in Blue still remain behind New Zealand and Afghanistan in the table and need a lot of luck on their side apart from just wins in the remaining two games.
Talking about the same, Rohit Sharma said that the side will be keeping a close eye on the clash between Afghanistan & New Zealand for a clear idea of their journey to the semi-finals.
“When you talk about the final, for us, the road is quite far now. Our chance will depend on the Afghanistan-New Zealand match. Who will do that or who loses that?
“We also have the challenging task of winning two matches. We can’t think that far now. We have to focus on our next match. Afghanistan-New Zealand is a crucial match. We are not playing that but it’s going to be crucial. Right now, our journey to the final is too far ahead,” Rohit told the press after India’s win over Afghanistan.
India Qualification Scenarios:
- India needs to win both the remaining games against Scotland & Namibia handsomely
- India’s best chance is getting tied at six points with New Zealand and Afghanistan
- For that, New Zealand need to lose one or both of their remaining games against Afghanistan and Namibia.
- India will play the last league game of the group on November 08 and will have the advantage of knowing the exact equation to topple the NRR of both New Zealand & Afghanistan
India’s remaining fixtures:
Nov 05 vs Scotland, Dubai
Nov 08 vs Namibia, Dubai
Afghanistan and New Zealand will lock horns on Sunday, November 07 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Virat Kohli & Co. are likely to cheer for Afghanistan’s win as it will give them a better chance of making it to the final four in the showpiece event.
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