How Team India can still qualify for the 2022 Asia Cup Final

India lost a crucial match against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, September 6, after the latter chased down the target of 174 with 6 wickets to spare. This has left India’s Asia Cup hopes in tatters with just the game against Afghanistan left to play in the Super-4. But in spite of these back-to-back losses, all is not lost for the men-in-blue. There is still a faint scenario that could see India sneak into the final.

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The Super-4 is a round-robin stage and each team plays the other once. India has played and lost to Sri Lanka and had earlier lost their Super-4 game to Pakistan by 5 wickets after failing to defend a total of 181 at the same ground on Sunday, September 4. 

These are the games still to be played in the Super-4:

Pakistan vs Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 7

India vs Afghanistan on Thursday, September 8

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan on Friday, September 9 

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Of these games, India will obviously have to win its last remaining game against Afghanistan, ideally by a resounding margin. But even before that, India will also need Afghanistan to beat Pakistan today, September 7. Once these two results have gone India’s way, then attention will turn to the final game of the Super-4 on September 9 which will see Sri Lanka take on Pakistan. Sri Lanka is already virtually through to the final having beaten India and Afghanistan, but India will need the Lankans to make it a Super-4 clean sweep and defeat Pakistan as well. 

Such a scenario would see Sri Lanka top the Super-4 group, and the trio of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan level on points with 1 win each. Then it shall come down to the net run rate (NRR), and if India has beaten Afghanistan by a huge margin, then a superior NRR shall see India progress and face Sri Lanka in the final. 

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It is a faint possibility with a series of events needing to fall into place like clockwork for Team India to come back from this abject situation. But the simple equation is this- for India to stay in the tournament, Afghanistan has to win today. A loss to Pakistan this evening and India shall officially be out of the tournament and the game against Afghanistan shall be a dead rubber.