India vs England or South Africa in T20 World Cup semifinal: Who could Rohit Sharma’s men face if they beat Australia?

by Admin
June 24, 2024

The 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup confirmed its first pair of semifinalists on Monday after the Super Eight stage of the tournament completed its share of matches for Group 2. Defending champions England, who were on the verge of a humiliating group-stage elimination last week, qualified for the Super Eight with the help of Australia’s win over Scotland, before beating West Indies and the USA to secure the semifinal spot for the fourth time in a row in T20 World Cups. Later, in Antigua, South Africa survived the nail-biter against the Windies to secure their first semifinal qualification since 2014 and third overall. But for the Indian audience, the burning question stands – whom will Rohit Sharma’s men face in the semis, should they beat Australia on Monday?

Who could India face in the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal?

How can India qualify for the T20 World Cup semifinal?

Despite winning both their Super Eight games, India are yet to secure their semifinal berth, although the emphatic win by 50 runs against Bangladesh did hand them a healthy NRR of 2.425 and kept them at the top of the Group 1 points table.

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A win or a no result in their final Super Eight match, against Australia in Saint Lucia, will be enough to send the Men in Blue through to the T20 World Cup semifinal for the second time in a row. In fact, there is also a possibility of India heading to the semifinal as group winners, even with a loss against Australia.

So does that mean India will face South Africa in the semis?

India vs England or South Africa? A look at India’s possible T20 World Cup semifinal opponent

According to the format for the 2024 T20 World Cup, the winner of a respective group will face the runner-up from the other group in the semifinal. Hence, India’s opponent in the semifinal will be decided based on the final two match results from the Super Eight round—India versus Australia and Afghanistan versus Bangladesh.

India vs England in T20 World Cup semifinal: Given India’s semifinal qualification scenarios explained above, there is a bigger possibility for the 2007 champions to finish top of Group 1 and will take West Indies on June 27 at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana. India lost to England in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup semifinals. Overall, India and England share two wins apiece from four encounters in T20 World Cups.

India vs South Africa in T20 World Cup semifinal: For this match-up to happen, India have to finish second in Group 1, which will only be possible if Australia beat India by a margin big enough to topple their net run rate while Bangladesh deny Afghanistan in their final Super Eight match. This scenario will present India with a chance to get through to the semis as a second-placed side behind Australia, who will subsequently take on England in the semis. India hold a 4-2 record in T20 World Cups against the Proteas, although they lost their previous encounter in Perth in 2022.