T20 World Cup: As Virat Kohli is optimistic, here's how India can still reach the semi-finals

Virat Kohli-led Team India's hopes of making it to the semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World 2021 suffered a massive blow after their eight-wicket loss against New Zealand on Sunday (October 31) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This was India's second defeat in the Super 12 stage as they suffered an embarrassing loss to arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets and are now in danger of missing the semi-finals. 

Reflecting on the game, Indian skipper Kohli said that the team was not "brave" as he added, "We have to be optimistic and positive and take calculated risks. We have to disconnect from the pressure and continue with our process and play a positive brand of cricket. There's a lot of cricket to play in the tournament." 

Being optimistic is one thing, but to make it to the semi-final is an uphill battle, however, India can still reach the last four considering several factors. Here's how India can still qualify for the semis:

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After losing two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand, India's run rate at the moment is quite low, which is -1.609. A low run rate means they either have to finish points clear of their rivals for qualification or hope for big margins of victory to book a berth in the semi-final. 

However, it's not going to be an easy road as Afghanistan, with four points to their name, pose one of the biggest hurdles with a staggering +3.097 NRR. They hammered Scotland to register a 130-run win to have such net run rate. 

So, the match against Afghanistan becomes a must-win with a huge margin as a loss would mean India's chances of making it to the semis from Group 2 will be over. After Afghanistan, the Virat Kohli & Co. will hope to win against Namibia and Scotland with bigger margins to redress their NRR. 

However, they would also be hoping that New Zealand face defeat in its upcoming fixtures against Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland which looks unlikely at the moment, counting on the current form of Kane Williamson's side. 

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India's upcoming fixture:

-India vs Afghanistan on November 3 at 7:30pm (IST)

-India vs Scotland on November 5 at 7:30pm (IST)

-India vs Namibia on November 8 at 7:30pm (IST)