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Net Run Rate zooms after Scotland win, but India still in a desperate situation

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Despite the massive win achieved over newcomers Scotland in just 6.3 overs on Friday night here, India’s hopes of qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup last-four hinge on Afghanistan beating the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Following two big defeats — to Pakistan by 10 wickets and New Zealand by eight wickets — in the Group 2 ‘Super 12’ stage, India were down to fifth on the points table with an abysmal Net Run Rate (NRR). But emphatic victories over Afghanistan and Scotland have seen them do one part right — drastically improve the NRR.

While their drubbing of Afghanistan took their NRR from -1.609 to +0.073, the eight-wicket win over Scotland on Friday evening achieved in 6.3 overs, further bolstered their NRR to +1.619.

India first bundled Scotland out for 85, with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami taking three wickets apiece and then chased down the target for the loss of two wickets. The win takes them to third spot in the Group 2 standings with four points, leapfrogging Afghanistan on NRR.

Despite that, their fate hinges on Afghanistan beating the all-powerful Black Caps, who have been clinical in all their ‘Super 12’ matches, barring Pakistan.

Following are the likely semifinal scenarios:

After a crushing defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second game, India’s net run rate was a lowly -1.609. However, after two back to back wins by massive margins — first against Afghanistan by 66 runs and now against Scotland with 81 balls remaining — India’s net run rate is now at +1.619, the highest amongst all the Group 2 teams. Afghanistan and New Zealand are not too far off, at +1.481 and +1.277 respectively.

Despite the huge NRR boost, India’s semifinal hopes are pinned on the result of the New Zealand-Afghanistan game. Second in the group with six points, New Zealand have their fate in their own hands.

1. What happens if New Zealand win?

It’s quite simple for the Black Caps — win the game, qualify for the semifinals without NRR coming into the picture or lose the game and they are out of the tournament. A win for the Kiwis will take them to eight points, which will be out of India’s reach, thus eliminating the Men in Blue before their game against Namibia. A victory for New Zealand is the worst possible result for India.

2. What happens if Afghanistan win?

Afghanistan win over the Kiwis will keep India in contention for the semifinals. However, Afghanistan themselves will be in with a strong chance to qualify if they beat New Zealand by a handsome margin. If they do, they would be hoping for an upset from Namibia against India, which would see them qualify for the semifinals of the ICC event for the first time in their history. If Afghanistan beat New Zealand, India will have to keep NRR in mind when they face Namibia.

3. What do India need to do?

All of India’s hopes are currently pinned on Afghanistan. If Afghanistan win against New Zealand, India themselves will have to beat Namibia by a margin that keeps their net run rate above Afghanistan. On the net run rate front, it is advantage India at the moment, who have the best net run rate in Group 2.

International

CT 2025: India to take on Pakistan on Feb 23, likely to play in Colombo or Dubai: Sources

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New Delhi, Dec 19: The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 23 with Colombo and Dubai front-runners to play host for India’s matches in the tournament being played in hybrid format. The development comes after the ICC Board said that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue.”

“India will take on Pakistan at a neutral venue on February 23, 2025. ICC looking at Colombo and Dubai to host their matches.”

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in February and March 2025. Meanwhile, ICC said the schedule for the marquee tournament will be confirmed in the coming days.

Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament, having defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in 2017. Both teams last played against each other in the T20 World Cup in New York earlier this year which India won by six runs and went on to claim their second silverware in the format.

Due to the strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan only play each other in international events including World Cups and Asia Cup. The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for the five-match white-ball series.

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It’s OFFICIAL! All India vs Pakistan Matches At ICC Events To Be Played At Neutral Venue Till 2027

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India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to be confirmed soon, with Pakistan aiming to defend the title they won in 2017.

The eight-team event will feature Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, alongside hosts Pakistan.

This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).

It was also announced that the PCB has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

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‘Our dream is getting fulfilled’: Coach Sumit Bhatia elated to see Kho Kho going global

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New Delhi, Dec 16: Coach Sumit Bhatia is all pumped up for the first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup scheduled to take place from January 13-19, 2025. Bhatia, who holds a distinct record of being the only head coach to have won the Asian Championship twice, believes that this historical step is an indication of the realisation of the dream to take the sport to the international level and help it gain global recognition.

Having been honoured with the best coach award by the Delhi government, Bhatia has been a part of various Indian teams’ success, including the 2016 and 2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship victories, and has trained players like Nasreen Shaikh and Sarika Sudhakar Kale. Both of them have been Arjuna Awardees.

Nasreen, who is also a part of the World Cup camp, is the only player who has played in two Asian Championships and won the gold. The coach-student duo is now gearing up for the global event.

Sharing how the journey of Kho Kho World Cup’s inception, the coach said, “We organised an international camp here before COVID happened, in 2020. Coaches and players from 16 countries came here and we gave them training. Now they will be coming here for the World Cup but this campaign started in that camp”.

He further said, “Around 30-35 countries were willing to play the tournament but we picked the best 20 teams for both men and women. Some countries have single teams while some have double teams but a total of 24 countries will be participating in the tournament. It was our dream to take Kho Kho to the international level and now we can see that our dream is getting fulfilled.”

He also lauded the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League and shared how the franchise-based model has helped the players and coaches gain recognition, while also bringing forward grassroot talent.

“When the Ultimate Kho Kho league started, I also joined Telegu Yodhas as their head coach and we also played the final. Players have gotten exposure through the league and it’s not just financial. Earlier we used to hesitate while admitting being a Kho Kho coach but today our players introduce us as their coach,” said Bhatia.

He added, “The league got so much coverage that wherever we go, the players are approached for autographs. So the platform of the league started a new world for both coaches and players and now not just India but the entire world knows us. Earlier we used to tell people about our game but now they know what is Kho Kho and Ultimate Kho Kho league and are also waiting for the third season.”

Bhatia also discussed the impact of sports science on Kho Kho and lauded the newly introduced technology and said, “We have benefitted a lot from it. Sometimes we don’t understand why a player is not performing well. But with the introduction of sports science, we now know about the details of the problem.

“For example, a player might be facing issues with his left leg while sitting and so, it gives us an opportunity to work on that weakness… Sports science has helped us in identifying the accuracy and weakness of a player. So it’s very beneficial for us.”

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