How can India qualify for Women’s World Cup semifinals?

On March 22, India beat Bangladesh by 110 runs to keep their semifinal hopes alive. India have so far played six games, winning three and losing three. They beat Pakistan, West Indies before beating Bangladesh but lost to Australia, New Zealand, and England. The team still has a good chance to qualify but they cannot afford any more setbacks. Here is how the team can qualify for the semis.

Points Table

The team is currently at the third spot in the points table, tied with the West Indies with six points. The only thing which separates the two is the Net Run Rate (NRR). The Women In Blue have a NRR of 0.768 due to their huge wins. On the other hand, the Women In Maroon have an NRR of (-0.885). 

Talking about other semis contenders, South Africa is on the second spot with eight points in their kitty. England and New Zealand are in fifth and sixth position respectively with four points each. Bangladesh and Pakistan are in seventh and eighth position respectively with two points each. Table-toppers, Australia have already qualified for the semis with 12 points in six games.

Scenarios for India to reach the semis

The first scenario is quite simple. Beat South Africa in their last game on March 27. The win will definitely boost their NRR and will keep them at eight points. However, if teams such as the West Indies and England managed to grab eight points by winning their remaining games, then the Mithali Raj-led side have to hope that their NRR remains higher than the two.

The second scenario is if India loses their last game. If that happens then they will have to hope for England to lose at least one of its two games. Also, they have to hope for South Africa to beat the West Indies. Even then, India will have to hope that their NRR is better than other teams with the same points.