Cricket
India vs Pakistan in World Cup semi-finals? Here’s how the thriller is possible
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India vs Pakistan, ICC World Cup 2023: India has been great in ICC World Cup 2023 as the Rohit Sharma-led squad finished on the top of points table. South Africa and Australia are in second and third position, while New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will fight the battle for the last berth in the semi-finals. With one semi-final between South Africa and Australia almost finalized, the suspense remains on India’s possible opponent and the heart of Indians obviously want it to be our biggest rival Pakistan.
The numbers on the points table display that this is very much possible as Pakistan has managed to secure some victories in their previous few matches. The team has suffered from bad form throughout the ICC World Cup 2023, but they need some courage and a little bit of luck to secure a match against India in the semi-finals.
Math of India vs Pakistan clash in World Cup semi-finals
A look at the points table says it all, New Zealand is currently at the fourth position with 8 points and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.398. Pakistan is in the fifth spot with 8 points and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.036 and Afghanistan is in the sixth position with 8 points and a net run rate (NRR) of -0.338.
New Zealand will play its final league match with Sri Lanka on Thursday and winning that match will be extremely crucial for the team. In case the Kiwis secure a victory against Sri Lanka, then the Kane Williamson-led squad will increase its chances to enter the World Cup semi-finals as they have the best net run rate among its 2 competitors.
If New Zealand wins against Sri Lanka, then the possibility of an India vs Pakistan thriller reduces to near zero levels as Pakistan needs a comprehensive win in their last match against England. The defending champions have not been very great in the World Cup, but their match against the Netherlands shows that they have not lost their zeal and it is very difficult to secure a big win against them.
Afghanistan has to hope that both New Zealand and Pakistan lose their final league matches, while they somehow manage a victory in their final league match against South Africa. The way Afghanistan has performed in ICC World Cup 2023, it will be no surprise if they defeat the giant Proteas.
One more reason why Indian fans want Pakistan in the semi-finals is that in the ICC World Cup 2019, it was the Kiwis who defeated us in the semi-finals and faced that thriller final against England. That MS Dhoni run-out on the wonderful throw of Martin Guptill broke more than a billion hearts that day.
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Updated: 08 Nov 2023, 10:41 PM IST
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