The men in blue will face the black caps on Sunday in a virtual knockout game. Yes, you read it correctly. India to play New Zealand in a virtual knockout game. This is only the second game for both the teams in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Why is this a do or die situation for both teams?
Before the start of the tournament, Team India was considered as the favorite to win the title. After winning both of its warm-up games, a high-on confidence Indian Team started their tournament against Pakistan on October 24. Unfortunately, the results did not go in Team India’s favor. Pakistan with their fabulous bowling efforts managed to stop the opposition at barely 151 and then dominated with their batting. They started their tournament with a whopping win with 10 wickets.
The underdogs of the tournament, Pakistan is currently the strongest team in group 2 with three wins. Starting the tournament on a winning note with a win against India, Pakistan, in their second game of the tournament grabbed a win against New Zealand too with 5 wickets.
How will the run rate come into play?
As per the current standings of group 2, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Namibia are the top 3 teams. India, New Zealand, and Scotland are yet to find the momentum. Pakistan Team with 6 points and a net run rate of +0.638 are currently the strongest contenders to qualify for the semi-finals. Whoever wins either India or New Zealand will get the much-needed 2 points and run rate. Assuming that they will win at least 2 out of the remaining 3 games. This will end them at 6 points. The losing team will have to win 3 out of 3 games and try to win with a big margin to help with the run rate.
What to expect from Sunday’s game?
India, knockout, and New Zealand are not really a good trio for Indian fans. Looking at the past couple of tournaments the kiwis have indeed outplayed the men in blue. Irrespective of the statistics, T20 is an unpredictable format. With both teams coming with losses, it will be interesting to see how the two have prepared themselves. Will India break its streak of not winning against NZ? Or Will NZ outplay India? Only time will tell.