India started their Asia Cup title defence with wins over Pakistan and Hong Kong in the group stage. But back-to-back defeats in Super Four derailed their chances of making the final. (More Cricket News)
As things stand now, Sri Lanka lead the Super Four table with four points from two wins in two. Pakistan are second with one win in one. India and Afghanistan are third and fourth, respectively. India lost to Pakistan by five wickets, then to Sri Lanka by six. Afghanistan lost their first Super Four match against Sri Lanka by four wickets.
These four 'Super' teams play each other, and the two sides with the most points will play in the final on Sunday. Now the question is - how can India qualify for the final?
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Here are the scenarios:
1. If Afghanistan beat Pakistan on Wednesday... Read match preview HERE. If Pakistan win tonight, then they will play the final against Sri Lanka. End of the road for India and Afghanistan!
2. Assuming India survive the night, they will need to beat Afghanistan in their final Super Four match by a big margin on Thursday. India will thus open the account.
3. Then, hope for Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan on Friday. The bigger the margin of victory better for India as the net run rate will come into play when teams are tied on points.
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If all three conditions are satisfied, Sri Lanka will enter the final with six points, with Afghanistan, India and Pakistan (two points each) fighting for the right to challenge the five-time champions in the title clash.
For India to make the final, their net run rate should be greater than those of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Net run rate before Pakistan vs Afghanistan match: Sri Lanka (+0.351), Pakistan (+0.126), India (-0.125) and Afghanistan (-0.589
