New Delhi. The 90,954 fans sitting in the huge galleries of the world’s largest Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium were hopeful that the Indian team would take a strong step towards the semi-finals by defeating South Africa on its home ground. But Sunday evening came like a nightmare. In the very first match of the Super-8 of the ICC T20 World Cup, South Africa defeated India by a huge margin of 76 runs. This defeat has not only broken the morale of defending champion India, but also entangled the path to the semi-finals in a complicated whirlpool of mathematics. The Indian team, which set out to chase the challenging target of 188 runs, had a very disappointing start. Team India collapsed for just 111 runs in 18.5 overs. Ishan Kishan could not even open his account, while Tilak Verma, who came at number-3, became the victim of Marco Jansen after scoring only 1 run.
World number-1 T20 batsman Abhishek Sharma (15 runs) definitely hit some good shots, but despite the collision with Keshav Maharaj, Corbin Bosch gave a big blow to Indian hopes by taking a wonderful catch. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar got the start, but they failed to convert it into big scores. Marco Jansen wreaked havoc for South Africa, taking 4 wickets for 22 runs, while Keshav Maharaj ended the Indian innings by taking three wickets in a single over.
Super-8 Group A: Latest mathematics of points table
With this victory, the South African team captained by Aiden Markram reached the top with an excellent net run rate of +3.800. Whereas India is at the bottom fourth position with a net run rate of -3.800.
How will India reach the semi-finals?
The path is now very difficult for India. Suryakumar Yadav’s army now needs a ‘miracle’ to get the semi-final ticket. India now has two matches left. Zimbabwe (26 February, Chennai) and West Indies (1 March, Kolkata). To remain in the race for the semi-finals, India will not only have to win both these matches, but will also have to win by a huge margin. The 76-run defeat has caused a lot of damage to the net run-rate, for which India will need innings of at least a 50-60 run win or achieving the target within 15 overs.
If you lose even one match, the journey is over
The equation is very clear. If India loses even one of the next two matches, then their dream of defending the title will end at the Super-8 stage itself. With two losses, no team will be able to make it to the top-2.
Keep an eye on the results of West Indies and Zimbabwe
India will also have to pray that South Africa wins its remaining matches so that the other teams in the group (West Indies and Zimbabwe) cannot overtake India in terms of points. If South Africa beats everyone, then the battle for second place will depend on run-rate, where India will have to maintain its upper hand.
Battle of Chennai and Kolkata
The Indian team will now head towards MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai, where they will face Zimbabwe on Thursday. After this, there will be a clash with the power-hitting team of West Indies at Eden Gardens. Home ground, home crowd and ‘do or die’ situation, will Team India be able to make a comeback under this huge pressure?