The Indian men’s cricket team made it six wins in six matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after beating England by 100 runs on Sunday at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
India, who are currently on 12 points, can be joined by South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the winner between Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka with 12 points or more in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 group stage. Pakistan or Bangladesh cannot outscore India in the points table.
If India lose their remaining three matches, which include South Africa and Sri Lanka, they will remain on 12 points. Australia and New Zealand, meanwhile, will have to win two of their remaining three matches, losing only to the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka winner, to reach 12 points.
South Africa, too, will have to win at least one of their three upcoming matches, including one against India. This will result in five teams being tied on 12 or more points.
All these results put together, wherein India lose all three matches by a massive margin, will be enough to oust the Rohit Sharma-led Indian men’s cricket team out of the semi-final spot in the World Cup 2023.
India will take on Sri Lanka next on Thursday, November 2, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, a rematch of the 2011 World Cup final.
A victory for India in Mumbai will not only make it seven wins on the bounce for the team but also confirm their official qualification for the semi-final in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as only South Africa, New Zealand and Australia can match the 14-point mark in the group stage.
India will also make the semi-finals if any of their remaining group matches is washed out and the points are shared.
After facing Sri Lanka, India will take on South Africa on November 5 in Kolkata, followed by their final group encounter against the Netherlands on November 12 in Bengaluru after a week-long break.
The World Cup 2023 semi-finals will be held on November 15 in Mumbai (1 vs 4) and November 16 (2 vs 3) in Kolkata while the final is scheduled for November 19 at Ahmedabad.
