The Virat Kohli-led team has lost in the last two matches and stands in position five after Pakistan, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Namibia with a net run rate of -1.609. The team is considered one of the toughest to defeat in international cricket. They are looking to exit the tournament early unless a miracle happens. The Men in Blue still have three matches left in the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 schedule; 

• India vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi – Wednesday
• India vs Scotland, Dubai – Friday
• India vs Namibia, Dubai – Monday

The fight to qualify to the next stage in Group 2 seems to narrow down to Afghanistan, India, and New Zealand. India beats Scotland and Namibia, and their chances to qualify no longer look grey. They lose to Afghanistan, and they are out of the race. If they beat Afghanistan and the opponent beats New Zealand, they will tie with Afghanistan, a team with a superior net run-rate to India. The best chance for the Men in Blue to make it out of the group in New Zealand losing to Namibia and Scotland. This will have one of the Group 2 likely qualifiers out of the race. Namibia and Scotland have shown their preparedness and passion for getting far into the tournament.

In the match with Pakistan, they lost by ten wickets. Pakistan was chasing a target of 152 runs, and their openers looked more confident. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hit amazing half-centuries that sealed the win. In the match’s opening, Virat Kohli scored his 29th half-century in T20Is and struck five boundaries and a six. Later, he was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi by 57, and they posted 151/7 in 20 overs. Pakistan player Afridi was beaming off energy as they put back Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Hasan Ali got Suryakumar Yadav, which paved the way for Pakistan. Rishabh Pant hit a 30-ball 39, two fours, and two sixes.

Hardik Pandya did not get through the death overs, and great players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Chahar, Shardul Thakur, and Ishan Kishan were left out of the playing XI. With Pakistan winning the toss and opting to bowl first, team India hoped to win the match. After losing Pakistan, India looked to seal a win and get their campaign rolling back to a good score in their next match with New Zealand. 

India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets, and Kane Williamson and Devon Conway made sure to score over India’s score of 110/7, which they did by scoring 111 runs in 13.4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Martin Guptill, and Daryl Mitchell scored 49 runs off 35 balls early in their innings. India’s batting performance was average and could not equal that of New Zealand. They hit wickets and finished at 35/2. 

Ishan Kishan was dismissed by Trent Boult, KL Rahul’s score was brushed to by Tim Southee, whereas the Rohit man was sent back by Ish Sodhi. New Zealand’s Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, and Adam Milne finished with 3-20, 2-17, 1-26, and 1-30, respectively. Before this game, the captain stated there would be some changes to the playing XI to the team’s form that lost to Pakistan. He replaced Suryakumar Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with Kishan and Shardul Thakur, hoping for a different direction and performance.  

Upcoming Match against Afghanistan

Afghanistan lost to Pakistan by five wickets with six balls left on Wednesday. They still stand at the second position in the Group 2 table with 4 points and + 3.097 as their net run rate is second best at this tournament next to England. 

The team beat Scotland by a huge difference of 130 runs. They aim to win the match against India and improve their NRR to create a gap in the group. For T20 World Cup matches, scores, updates, and tips, route to My Casino Guru. Access the best cricket betting odds at India’s favorite sports betting sites to win cash prizes on the T20 World Cup matches.  

The Net Run Rate

India has one of the lowest net run rates of all the teams in the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. It weighs them down and makes their chances challenging to improve. They have to win the remaining matches by a big margin to change the net run rate and qualify for the semi-finals. With Afghanistan having a better NRR than most teams, India will have to play hard to impact their NRR and alter it to their favor.

Team Form

After the IPL season, India did not have enough time to cool down and restart their power bodies. They seem overworked and overheated, considering the weather in the UAE. The team is having a challenge is gaining momentum, and that has been a prime factor that teams ought to consider to stay in the tournament. The teams have to reevaluate their combinations, plans, and method to meet the fan’s pressure and the management to win.

Could it be the captaincy?

Virat Kohli is undeniably one of the best cricketers in the World. As he is coming to the end of his cricket captaincy, India losing the last two matches feels like deja vu of the IPL 2021. Kholi has been the captain leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore for years in the IPL series but has never pushed them to win the title. Also, he has not registered a win in the T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cups, and Champions Trophy. 

Sideliners see Kholi as a finder of corrections to overcome opposition if anything goes wrong. Like in five games in a row, he will plan and lead, but he keeps changing the strategy in multi-events, thus losing control. There has been no consistency in the playing XIs. When playing against New Zealand, he put Ishan Kishan, who replaced opener Rohit Sharma, which many believe was a strategy that negatively impacted the morale of Rohit and made him doubt his ability. The team needs fresh ideas and a new direction. 

The captain propped Hardik to play, and he was still in injury status. By the time they noticed he was low in speed and effort, it was too late to manage the damage, and they were setting a low target score that was easy for their speedy opponents to beat. 

CONCLUSION

India has shown the worst ever World Cup performances and has failed to live up to its reputation as the World’s feared cricket gurus at the T20 World Cup in the Gulf. The team certainly has talent, international cricket experienced professionals, and has had years to grow and sharpen their skills. Therefore this trail is taking a toll on cricket fans of the team. India cannot afford a defeat now. Their last time to miss the finals was in the 2012 T20 World Cup edition.

India’s upcoming match is against Afghanistan. Do you think team India will win the match and make it to the T20 World Cup semi-finals? Catch the best bonus offers and rewards at these sports betting sites recommended by My Casino Guru to walk away with real money and luxurious gifts.