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India were given a major boost to their chances of qualifying for the semi-final of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 after the New Zealand-Australia game produced a result that comes as a major boost for them after their disastrous start to the competition.
The clash between the Trans-Tasman rivals at the Sharjah Cricket Ground saw the Australian team outclass the White Ferns with a 60-run victory. Chasing a total of 149, New Zealand were bowled out for 88, meaning the World Champions have won two games in a row.
Meanwhile, New Zealand have had a tournament of extremes so far, as after beating India by 59 runs, they lost their Net Run Rate (NRR) advantage with tonight's result.
Group A Points Table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
| Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +2.524 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +0.555 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -0.050 |
| India | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1.217 |
| Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.667 |
Group A Remaining Fixtures
| Match | Date | Time | Venue |
| India vs Sri Lanka | 9th October | 7:30 PM IST | Dubai |
| Pakistan vs Australia | 11th October | 7:30 PM IST | Dubai |
| New Zealand vs Sri Lanka | 12th October | 3:30 PM IST | Sharjah |
| India vs Australia | 13th October | 7:30 PM IST | Sharjah |
| Pakistan vs New Zealand | 14th October | 7:30 PM IST | Dubai |
What Does The Result Mean For India?
The result will boost India's confidence of qualifying as the difference between their NRR and New Zealand's has significantly reduced. Although, the White Ferns have the chance to boost their run rate again with games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, India will back themselves to overhaul it if they beat Sri Lanka and Australia.
Further, the Women in Blue now have a realistic chance of qualification even if they lose to defending champions Australia if they manage to beat Sri Lanka. If New Zealand drop points to either Pakistan or Sri Lanka, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led will be level on points with them even if they lose to Australia and can hope to have a better NRR. If India beat Australia and New Zealand lose another match, the Women in Blue will qualify and not have to worry about NRR.
However, the result has also put Pakistan in pole position to qualify but the Women in Green have tough games against New Zealand and Australia coming up.
India need to ensure they can boost their NRR in tommorow's match against Sri Lanka with a difference of around 50 runs still between them and New Zealand.