After a horrendous outing against New Zealand with both ball and bat in hand, the Indian cricket team is left gaping at other teams for a result in their favor in order to make it to the semifinals. It was one of the worst nights on the field for the Indian Cricket Team, as they were handed a tamed defeat by their Kiwi counterparts.
It never looked like competition from the get going, as the Indian batters struggled against the opening bowlers of New Zealand. They could only manage to score 35 runs in the powerplay and lost 2 crucial wickets of both the openers in doing so. Demoted a spot from his regular position, Rohit Sharma tried to make amends for his team alongside Kohli, but things just didn’t click for them. As a result, Indian fans watched in horror as the wickets of their heroes tumbled like the house of cards. The masterful stroke payers played like a shadow of their normal self, and the innings ended with just 110 runs on the board.
Very disappointing from India. NZ were amazing. India’s body language wasn’t great, poor shot selection & like few times in the past, New Zealand have virtually ensured we won’t make it to the next stage. This one will hurt India & time for some serious introspection #IndvsNZ
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 31, 2021
The New Zealand batting was smooth as ever. The opener Daryl Mitchell led the charge by scoring 49 runs alone, which meant that there was going to be no hurdle on the way of winning for the Kiwis. So, it turned out as the Black Caps ended the game with 5 overs to spare.
This defeat should hurt Team India. Tentative with the bat, their shot selection was questionable. New Zealand bowled superbly, but India made their task easier. With their net run rate also taking a beating, a semifinal spot looks a distant dream #INDvNZ #T20WorldCup
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 31, 2021
Following this defeat, India remains in the second last position on the table, with no points and a negative Net Run Rate against their name. New Zealand on the other hand climbs up to the third position. India may still have a slender chance of making it to the semifinals, but they are no longer in charge of their destiny. They will require other results like New Zealand winning over Afghanistan and then losing to one of the associate nations like Scotland or Namibia, going their way. Because if that happens, and India in return wins all their remaining matches by securing a high Net Run Rate, only then will they be able to make it to the semifinals.
