New Delhi: The Indian cricket legends who form the team India Champions at the World Championship of Legends 2024 went down against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Saturday. The Indian batters and bowlers put up a flop show against Pakistan Champions who dented them with their first loss of the tournament. Pakistan have climbed to the top with three wins on the trot while India sit third with two wins and a loss.
All the six participating teams except West Indies and South Africa have played three games each and have two more games left that could decide their fate. Talking about India Champions, they too have two more games left – against the legends of Australia and South Africa. Although India’s road ahead after the heartbreaking loss, looks a bit difficult but the hopes aren’t over yet for the retired Men in Blue.
How can India still win the tournament?
A win in either of the remaining two games will strengthen their claim for a semi-final spot but then it will be narrowed down to the probabilities of other teams either losing or winning and the margins as well for the net run rate (NRR). Four teams are bound to qualify for the penultimate stage and considering Team India’s opponents – Australia and South Africa, their path surely won’t be easy to book a semi-final berth. However, if they end up winning both of their remaining games, a semi-final place could be guaranteed.
India Champions tournament so far
India started their campaign taking on England Champions and beat them by three wickets as they comfortably chased down 166 on the back of Robin Uthappa who hit a fifty. England were invited to bat first and scored 165/4 in 20 overs as Ian Bell and Samit Patel’s half-centuries went in vain.
The Yuvraj Singh-led side then faced West Indies Champions and won the game by 27 runs via the DLS method. West Indies invited India to bat first as Gurkeerat Singh struck an unbeaten 86 and Uthappa, Yuvraj, Suresh Raina, and Irfan Pathan chipped in with valuable contributions. India posted 229/5 in 20 overs but West Indies’ (31/1 in 5.3 overs) chase was thwarted by rain and India were adjudged the ultimate winners.
In the Pakistan clash, India opted to bowl and leaked 243 runs (at the cost of 4 wickets in 20 overs) to get a mammoth of target to chase. The Indian bowlers put up a flop show as Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, and Sohaib Maqsood hit fifties and helped Pakistan post a hefty total. India’s chase (175/9 in 20 overs) didn’t live up to the expectations as Suresh Raina’s fifty went in vain and Pakistan bowlers struck at regular intervals to deny India a third consecutive win.
India Champions suffered a heartbreaking loss against Pakistan Champions but hopes are still bright for the Indian team in the World Championship of Legends 2024. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
