India registered a 28 run victory against Bangladesh to seal a semi final berth in the ongoing world cup. India currently stands with 14 points in 8 games at the second spot in the points table and if they manage to win their next game and Australia loses their last game to South Africa then the men in blue will rise to the numero uno position in the table.
Now before the knockouts, Indian team will face a dejected Sri Lanka who are allready out from the race of semi-final and it will offer a good opportunity for Virat Kohli led side to test their preparation before the business end of the tournament. The game will be played at Headingley in Leeds on 6th July. The pitch is traditionally flat and will favour the batsman.
How can India finish number in points table
England was on cusp of world cup exit after shocking defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia after which they were needed to win rest of their games to progress. They were up against India and New Zealand whom they last defeated in 1992 and 1983 world cup respectively. Despite all the odds, the Eoin Morgan led side pipped India and New Zealand to book a berth in the semi-final. They scored over 300 runs in both the games which makes them a dangerous team in the knockout stages of the tournament. It has been proved that England fail when they are needed to chase down a target which also includes a moderate target of 233 runs set by Sri Lanka.
However, considering their current form, no team wants to face them in the semi-finals and especially India who suffered a defeat against them on 30th June at Edgbaston.
In order to take the number one slot and avoid England in the semis, India need to tick these boxes-
1- India should defeat Sri Lanka in their last group clash at Leeds.
2- They should hope that a low lying South Africa punch above their weight and defeat Australia.
If this scenario comes true, India will rise to the number one spot in the points table with 16 points in 9 games and will face New Zealand in the 1st semi-final on July 9th at Manchester. The men in blue have registered two wins in as many matches at the same venue against Pakistan and West Indies.
If they fail to win against Sri Lanka or Australia registers a win against South Africa then the men in blue will be bound to face England in the 2nd semi-final on July 11th at Birmingham. The Edgbaston in Birmingham has shorter boundaries which may not help the cause of the spinners as the England batters destroyed the Indian spin twin of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal at the same venue on 30th June.
(Picture courtesy: Twitter)
