Team India became the first team to reach the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023. India defeated Sri Lanka and registered its 7th consecutive win in the tournament and made it to the knockouts. Team India now has 2 matches left, if it wins these then the team can finish at number-1 position in the points table. On the other hand, in the semi-final race, Pakistan team can win its 2 matches and finish at number-4 position.
If India finishes at number-1 and Pakistan at number-4, then a semi-final between India and Pakistan can be seen for the second time in the tournament history. The last time both the teams met in the semi-finals was in the 2011 World Cup, when India won.
India is currently on top, if it wins against South Africa then it will remain at number 1.
After 33 matches in the league stage, India is at the top of the points table, the team has 14 points from 7 wins. India has 2 matches left – against South Africa and Netherlands. If they win these too, the team will remain at number one with 18 points. South Africa is currently at second position with 12 points and the team is giving a tough challenge to India for the number-1 position.
If India is defeated by South Africa, then Team India would like South Africa to lose its last league stage match to Afghanistan. In this situation, South Africa will have only 14 points and the team will finish at number-2 or number-3 position. On the other hand, India can finish first with 16 points by defeating Netherlands.
How can Pakistan qualify?
At present, all the hopes of Pakistan of reaching the semi-finals are in their hands. The team is currently at number 5 with 6 points from 3 wins and 4 losses in 7 matches. They have matches left against New Zealand and England. If they win both the matches, they will get 10 points, but here also the New Zealand team is standing between them and the semi-finals. New Zealand is currently at fourth position with 8 points from 4 wins in 7 matches.
Pakistan and New Zealand will face each other on November 4 at Bengaluru ground. In a way, this match will be a knockout match, because the team that wins it will have higher hopes of reaching the semi-finals and the losing team will have to depend on the performance of others.
If Pakistan wins then the situation of both will be same.
If Pakistan defeats New Zealand on November 4, the situation of both the teams will be almost the same. Pakistan will have 8 points with 4 wins in 8 matches and New Zealand will also have the same number of points in 8 matches. Then Pakistan will have to win its last match against England by a big margin, so that the team’s run rate will be better than New Zealand. With a better run rate than New Zealand, Pakistan can qualify for the semi-finals by finishing fourth with 10 points.
This is why Pakistan has to maintain a better run rate than New Zealand; Because the last match of the Kiwi team will be against the Sri Lankan team, which has won only 2 matches in the tournament. In such a situation, New Zealand’s chances of winning this match are very high. If New Zealand loses to Sri Lanka then they will have 8 points and Pakistan will reach the knockout stage if they win their 2 matches. However, if New Zealand wins the last match then only the team with better run rate with 10 points will qualify further.
That means, at present, India’s chances of being in the semi-finals against either Pakistan or New Zealand are visible.
If Pakistan reaches the semi-finals then the match will be held in Kolkata.
The semi-final matches of the World Cup will be held in Mumbai and Kolkata. Due to security reasons, India’s match is scheduled to be held in Mumbai and Pakistan’s match is to be held in Kolkata. If there is a semi-final between India and New Zealand, then the match will be held in Mumbai on 15th November. If there is a semi-final between India and Pakistan, then the match will be played in Kolkata on 16th November.
India could not win against Pakistan in Kolkata till date
There were 8 matches between India and Pakistan in the ODI World Cup and India won every time, but the Pakistan team plays in a different form at the Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata. 4 ODIs were played between the two teams on this ground and Pakistan won every time. That means different generations of Pakistan have defeated India in Kolkata.
In 1987, both the teams met on this ground for the first time, Pakistan won the match by 2 wickets.
In 1989, there was an ODI between the two for the second time, this time Pakistan won by 77 runs.
In 2004, the third ODI between India and Pakistan took place here, this time also Pakistan won the match by 6 wickets.
In 2013, both the teams last met to play ODI on this ground and here too Pakistan won by 85 runs.
India has lost to Pakistan only once in ICC knockout.
Very few knockout matches have been seen between India and Pakistan in ICC tournaments. This has happened only 4 times in history. Both the teams have met twice in the ODI World Cup, while once each in the knockouts of the Champions Trophy and T-20 World Cup.
Source: dainikbhaskarup.com
: Language Inputs
This post is sourced from newspapers, magazines and third-party websites. For more information please check NewsDay Express Disclaimer.
