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Team India continued their incredible run at the 2023 World Cup by dismantling defending champions England by 100 runs at Lucknow on October 29. The win has the Men in Blue occupying the top spot on the points table with six wins in as many games.
While Rohit Sharma's men are realistically through to the semi-final, they haven't mathematically qualified yet. Despite boasting 12 points in six games, India can miss out on finishing in the top four and qualifying for the semi-final if a slew of improbable results transpire.
For starters, India will have to lose all three remaining games, which is highly unlikely given the side's red-hot current form. However, in the event of that happening, there are two teams that can theoretically push them outside the top four.
Considering Netherlands and Pakistan can achieve a maximum of 10 points from here on, only two of the six teams from the bracket below the top four, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, can reach 12.
In saying that, those two sides meet each other tomorrow in a pivotal encounter, meaning the loser of that game will also not be able to reach India's tally. The winner of the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan will have to then emerge victorious in their next three outings, with Team India losing their final three games.
That apart, two of the three teams in the top four, Australia and New Zealand, will have to win two of their remaining three games and lose to only the winner of the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan clash. Furthermore, the other team in the top four, South Africa, will have to win at least one of their final three games to reach 12 points.
A combination of all these results, along with a terrible net run rate swing to lose out in a fourth-place tie-breaker, will have to happen for Team India not to qualify for the semi-final. Hence, it is safe to say for all practical purposes that the 2011 world champions are all but assured of a place in the final four.
A victory in their next game against Sri Lanka will eliminate even the slimmest of possibilities and ensure India official qualification to the semi-final.
Team India will also go through to the semi-final if the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan clash is washed out or if any of their own remaining matches is washed out with a point shared.
Who does Team India play in their remaining matches of the 2023 World Cup?
Following their emphatic 100-run victory against England at Lucknow, Team India will now travel to Mumbai, the scene of their last World Cup title. In a rematch of the 2011 ODI World Cup final, they will take on Sri Lanka at the Whankede Stadium on Thursday, November 2.
The Sri Lanka clash will be followed by India taking on the second-ranked side on the points table, South Africa, in Kolkata on Sunday, November 5. Rohit Sharma and company will have a week off before finishing their round-robin matches with an outing against the Netherlands in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 12.
The India-Netherlands fixture will also be the final league-stage encounter, followed by the first semi-final (1 vs 4) in Mumbai on November 15 and the second semi-final (2 vs 3) in Kolkata on November 16.
The grand finale will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.
