ICC Women’s World Cup 2022: How can India qualify for semi-finals?

India’s journey to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 got a lot tougher when they lost to Australia by six wickets on Saturday. With the win, Meg Lanning and company became the first side to qualify for the last four stage. 

The Mithali Raj-led side have so far won two and lost three games in the round-robin stage of the tournament. They are placed fourth on the table with two matches remaining. 

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India will face Bangladesh on Tuesday and then South Africa on March 27. 

Here is how the scenario’s could play out:

India defeat both Bangladesh and South Africa:

India will take on debuatants Bangladesh with the hope of securing a big win, which will be a boost to their net run rate. They are currently tied on points with England, who are placed fifth in the points table. 

A win against both Bangladesh and South Africa takes Mithali Raj’s side to eight points, which should be enough to see them qualify. 

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If India lose one of the two games:

Bangladesh have been able to win just one game in the tournament so far. Their triumph came against Pakistan on March 14. Meanwhile, South Africa, second on the points table, have emerged victorious in all four matches. 

If India manage to defeat Bangladesh and lose against South Africa, they will have to rely on South Africa, West Indies, England and New Zealand dropping points. A win against the Proteas gives Mithali Raj and co a better shot at qualification. 

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If India lose both their remaining games

A loss against both Bangladesh and South Africa means India, with four points, are virtually out of the run to the semi-finals. Mithali Raj cannot afford on ending on the losing side in both games. 

India: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.