New Delhi: New Zealand starred both with the bat and bowl to crush India on Sunday by eight wickets in the 28th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, at the Dubai International Stadium. Bowling first after winning the toss, Kiwis restricted India to a paltry 110 runs for 7 wickets and then easily chased down the target in 14.3 overs after losing just two wickets. Darryl Mitchell (49) and skipper Kane Williamson (33*) emerged as the star batters for New Zealand. New Zealand's win over India on Sunday is their first win in two World Cup matches.
Despite the crushing defeat against New Zealand, India's hopes of reaching the semi-finals are still alive. But for this to happen, Virat Kohli & Co will have to pull off two big miracles.
Post the outcome of India vs New Zealand match, Pakistan has almost secured the ticket to semi-final with three consecutive wins in Group 2 of Super 12. Afghanistan is at number two with four points from two wins. New Zealand, after their win over India, is at number three with 2 points. Namibia stands at number four with the same points. The top two teams from Group 1 and Group 2 will advance to the semi-finals and surprisingly India still has a chance to reach the semi-finals.
To reach the semi-finals, Afghanistan will have to beat New Zealand and India will have to win their remaining matches with a higher net run rate than the other teams. Also India, in their next matches in the tournament, need to beat Afghanistan, Scotland or Namibia by a margin of 50 or more than 100 runs. If Afghanistan managed to defeat Kiwis by 50 or more runs, then India will have a chance to qualify for semi-finals. Also, if New Zealand defeats Scotland and Namibia by 50 or more runs, Team India will still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals.