India can still qualify for T20 World Cup semis after Australia loss

India's chances of reaching the semi-finals in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 took a big hit when they lost to Australia by nine runs on Sunday, October 13, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This loss ended India's hopes, while Australia, even without their captain Alyssa Healy due to a foot injury, kept their amazing 15-match winning streak and secured a spot in the semi-finals.

Australia chose to bat first and scored 151 runs for 8 wickets. Grace Harris, who stepped in for Healy, was the top scorer with 40 runs off 41 balls. Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry both added 32 runs. For India, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma each took two wickets.

In their chase, India only managed to score 142 runs for 9 wickets. Harmanpreet Kaur played well, finishing not out with 54 runs off 47 balls, including six fours, but it wasn’t enough. Needing 14 runs in the last over, India couldn’t keep it together and lost four wickets, ending their hopes of winning.

India still has a chance to move on to the next round. Their chances depend on the match between New Zealand and Pakistan on Monday, October 14, at the Dubai International Stadium.

Here’s how India can still qualify for the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals:

If Pakistan beats New Zealand, here's how it affects India's chances:

1.If Pakistan bats first: They can win by no more than 53 runs for India to still have a shot.
2.If Pakistan bowls first: They need to chase down the target with not more than 9.1 overs left.

However, if Pakistan wins by more than 53 runs or finishes the chase with over 9.1 overs to spare, they’ll qualify and knock both India and New Zealand out of the tournament.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s innings drew mixed reactions:

1.Admiration: Many praised her for her skill and composure, highlighting her impressive 54 runs, especially under pressure.
2.Disappointment: Some fans expressed frustration that her efforts weren’t enough to secure a win, feeling the team needed stronger support around her.
3.Critique: There were also critiques about the team's overall performance, with calls for more consistent batting in crucial matches.

Overall, while her individual performance was commendable, the team’s inability to close out the game overshadowed her effort.

Even though Harmanpreet was India’s top scorer on a tough pitch, many netizens expressed disappointment at how the team let the match slip away in the final moments. Fans felt that they should have done better in the crucial stages and were frustrated with the team’s performance under pressure.

There were questions about Harmanpreet's decision-making in the last over, especially since India needed just 14 runs after a strong performance in the 19th over. Fans felt that with the right choices, the match could have turned in India’s favor, leading to criticism about how they handled the final moments.

Kaur took a single off the first ball, but then Pooja Vastrakar got bowled by Annabel Sutherland. With India needing 13 runs off 3 balls, Kaur chose to take another single instead of going for a big hit to try for a super over. This decision sparked more criticism, as fans felt she should have been more aggressive in that crucial moment.