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India are the form team in World Cup 2023, winning six matches out of six so far in the ICC event at home. But the Men in Blue are still to qualify for the semi-finals despite leading the points table with 12 points and a net run rate of +1.405. The Rohit Sharma-led side next faces Sri Lanka in their seventh match of the round-robin format at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table
It will be a replay of the 2011 World Cup final at the same venue when MS Dhoni hit that famous six to help India win their second ODI World Cup, and the first since 1983. The Thursday match could also be the one that will ensure India’s progress to the World Cup 2023 semi-finals.
How India can reach the semis?
Winning against Sri Lanka will take India to 14 points. And with only India, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia now capable of reaching 14 points, qualification to the last four stage is guaranteed for the Indian cricket team if they beat Sri Lanka. In case India fail to beat Sri Lanka, then also they will have two more matches to seal qualification.
In fact, India could still reach the semi-finals even if they lose all their three remaining group matches.
IND vs SL: Top 5 ODIs from previous World Cups
Do Sri Lanka have a chance?
With four points from six matches, Sri Lanka have been languishing in the bottom half of the 10-team points table. The good news however is that they are still not out of the World Cup. In fact, mathematically, it’s still possible that the top two teams end up with 12 or more points and the next seven teams end up with eight.
Sri Lanka have the possibility of reaching 10 points if they win their next three games. This means they still have slim chances of reaching the semis but for that winning the next three games or at least two of them is imperative. However, two of the three matches are against in-form India and New Zealand.
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