Team India has been knocked out of the ICC T20 World Cup as New Zealand beat Afghanistan by a comfortable margin of 8 wickets with 11 balls to spare.
It was a must-win match for Afghanistan that would have further kept India’s hope alive for the semi-final berth after India lost their first two matches.
Host’s Exit from Knock-Out stages
The Indian Team is out of the race for a berth in the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The match was a must-win for Afghanistan, as well as for India.
The reason being, with India’s high net run rate, the Blues would have gotten a chance to become the second team to qualify from Group 2 after Pakistan if they defeated Scotland in the upcoming match.
New Zealand’s Qualification
This is the third time in a row that New Zealand has qualified for the semi-finals of a T20 World Cup. They had earlier reached the Semi-Final stages in the years 2007 and 2016.
Heartbreak for the Indian Team
The Indian team has now failed to get to the Semi-Finals for the fourth time. They have qualified in the last edition in 2016 and played finals in 2014 and won the first T20 World Cup in 2007.
India being the pre-tournament favorite, it’s a heartbreak of millions of fans around the world. Subramaniam Badrinath, a former Indian Cricketer, says, “New Zealand were too good for Afghanistan today but heartbreak for Team India”
Kane Williamson’s words post-match
Kane Williamson, Captain of the New Zealand National team was elated, while also paying careful acknowledgment to the strong opposing team in the post-match presentation. He said, “We know we have got another strong challenge coming up in a few days time but really pleasing outing today for the team. Great fielding effort as well, that was outstanding.”
“With the day games, it’s important to set the tone in the park and bring that energy and we saw from everybody. They (England) are a very strong side, for us it’s important we keep learning and focus on the sort of cricket we want to play. It’s been an incredibly tough competition and we’ve seen a lot of tight games as well. We are looking forward to the occasion.”
Opportunity for New Zealand’s team
With this win, the Kiwis have a chance to go to the top of the table in Group 2 if Pakistan loses to Scotland in the second game on Sunday in Sharjah.
