Revealed: How can India Women qualify for T20 World Cup semi-finals after victory against Pakistan?

India finally got off the mark in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 with a thumping six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (October 6).

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had started its campaign with a dismal 58-run loss against New Zealand. After New Zealand finished their innings on 160/4, India were bowled out for just 102 runs. Following the heavy loss, the Women in Blue needed a strong display against Pakistan and they came up with a fine performance.

Bowling first, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side restricted Pakistan to a modest total of 105/8. Nida Dar top-scored for her side, scoring 28 runs in 34 balls. Apart from her, no other batter from her team could even reach the 20-run mark. For India, Arundhati Reddy picked up three wickets while Shreyanka Patil claimed two.

With the bat, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side was off to a nervy start. Star batter Smriti Mandhana could not make an impact with the bat and departed in the fifth over after scoring only 7 runs from 16 balls. Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues then steadied the ship with a 43-run stand.

At 61/1, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side were looking set to register a comfortable win before they lost three wickets in quick succession to find themselves reeling at 80/4.

However, Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma then took the score past the 100-run mark before the former retired hurt when the team needed only 2 runs. The Indian team eventually crossed the finishing line in 18.5 overs to open their account in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Qualification scenario for India in T20 World Cup 2024:

With the win over Pakistan, Harmanpreet & Co. have got their campaign on track. India have now two more group games remaining in the World Cup. They will first take on reigning Asian champions Sri Lanka before locking horns against defending champions Australia.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side need to win both games to stay in a strong position for a place in the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinals. Of the five teams in a group, only the top two teams will advance to the last four. India can reach a maximum of six points if they win their remaining two games.

If New Zealand manage to stun Australia, six points will be enough for the Women in Blue to make it to the next round. However, if all three teams finish on the same points, their fate will be decided by Net Run Rate (NRR).

In case, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side fail to beat Australia, their hopes will be relying on New Zealand losing to both Australia and Pakistan or Australia losing to both New Zealand and Pakistan. In that situation, two teams will finish on four points and their fate will be decided by NRR.