The initial favorites, India, are finding themselves in troubled waters in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. The team’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals of the ICC event are hanging in the balance. The Virat Kohli-led side faced massive defeats in the first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand by ten and eight wickets, respectively. The two massive losses have hampered India’s net run rate to a greater extent and they are lagging behind Afghanistan, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Though the Men in Blue did some recovery by scripting a huge 66-run victory over Afghanistan on Wednesday, they need to dish out a similar performance against Scotland and Namibia too, and hope the tournament shape according to their requirement.
In a recent interaction with ESPNcricinfo, former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta highlighted the importance of net run rate for India. Dasgupta believes that India needs to put up an eye on the run rate to increase their chances of qualification. India are playing against Scotland on Friday.
Speaking about the encounter, Dasgupta outlined that the Virat Kohli-led side needs to bat first and score big just like they did against Afghanistan. “I think it is imperative for India to not just win the game, but also to look at the net run rate and try to improve that. One of the best means to do it is by scoring big after batting first and look to bowl out Scotland as early as possible," Dasgupta added.
However, former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene doesn’t share the same viewpoint. Mahela highlighted that India don’t need to obsess over the net run rate as they should focus on playing positive cricket. The Sri Lankan legend further advised India to show the same intent and command against Scotland and Namibia like they did against Afghanistan.
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Apart from their own performance, the Indian team also needs to keep a close watch on the game between New Zealand and Afghanistan. The Men in Blue need the Blackcaps to lose at least one of their upcoming T20 World Cup matches. The net run rate will come into play for qualification only if New Zealand loses one of their games, otherwise Pakistan will be joined by the Kiwis in the final four.
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