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India suffered their second consecutive defeat in the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday after being outplayed by New Zealand. The Kiwis' top-notch bowling performance saw India huff and puff their way to a below-par 110 for 7 in their 20 overs.
With this loss, India and Scotland remain the only teams yet to win a match in the Super 12 stage of the tournament. Their NRR, which was -0.973 after their loss to Pakistan, has dipped to -1.069 after New Zealand walloped their way to an eight-wicket win.
We look at three observations and the way forward for India in the remaining part of their World Cup run.
#1 India losing to NZ in marquee events continues
India may have made the semi-finals in 2016, but their T20 World Cup campaign was off to a disastrous start. New Zealand skittled MS Dhoni's side for 79 in their chase of 127 in their first match.
They lost to the Kiwis in the next match in an ICC event as well. It was in the Cricket World Cup semifinal in 2019. They followed it up with another defeat in the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC).
#2 Sending Ishan Kishan in place of Rohit Sharma was a gamble that failed
There are two theories as to why this move was made. Rohit Sharma's weakness to incoming deliveries and a left-right pair to unsettle the Kiwi quicks' rhythm.
Either way, the move failed as Ishan Kishan failed to make the most of opening the innings and settling in. Rohit Sharma, after getting a reprieve off his very first ball, didn't hang around for long either.
A top-order stutter complete with Virat Kohli's dismissal signaled an imminent defeat for India midway through their innings.
See who is the highest run scorer in T20 World Cup 2021 here.
#3 India making the semis looks doubtful unless things go their way
It wasn't easy to watch as India slumped to two defeats in a row. Their progress depends on how they fare further. While Namibia and Scotland may prove to be winnable games, Afghanistan is a tricky customer, and should India get past them, they will end their league stage with six points. Unless Pakistan and NZ lose a couple of games, it's safe to assume that India will be on the next flight out.
