What do India need against Australia to counter New Zealand threat and qualify for Women's T20 World Cup semifinals?

Group A of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup is down to just two more matches - India will take on Australia in Sharjah on Sunday, while New Zealand will face Pakistan in Dubai on Monday - before the first two semifinal teams of the tournament are confirmed.

India were pushed to a must-win territory after a 58-run shocker against New Zealand in their tournament opener last week. But mere victories would not be enough to guarantee a ticket to the semifinals of the World Cup as Harmanpreet Kaur-led side needed massive wins. They failed to tick the second box in their win against Pakistan, but India roared to an emphatic win against Sri Lanka to push their net run rate to +0.576.

The back-to-back wins saw India stand second in the points table behind defending champions Australia (six points with NRR of +2.786), and ahead of New Zealand (four points with NRR of +0.282).

What do India need to qualify for the semifinals?

If India beat Australia: The only way India can guarantee their ticket to the semifinals is if they beat Australia, leaving them with six points. In fact, a win by a margin of 61 runs will see India go past Australia's NRR and finish top of the table.

However, a win by a small margin will leave India in a precarious spot. Three teams have a possibility of finishing on six points, with New Zealand being the third side. Hence, if India do beat Australia, but fail to topple their NRR, their best hope would either be a Pakistan victory in the final Group A match, or a New Zealand win by a small margin.

If India lose to Australia: This would leave India, with just four points at the end of their Group A campaign, desperately hoping for a Pakistan victory against New Zealand. They will be eliminated if Sophie Devine's side wins against Pakistan.