India must continue to win to maintain hope
India are aiming for a win against Scotland similar to the one they won against Afghanistan. Only if the margin of victory improves slightly will India be able to make significant progress in the run rate. The victory over Afghanistan helped India move from net run rate minus to plus. The team also improved its position on the points table. Pakistan have qualified for the semi – finals from the group that includes India and are battling for the remaining one spot. In this, India must overcome the challenge posed by New Zealand and Afghanistan. Since the teams also have a better run rate than India, winning by a huge margin will only help India.
The Indian team is confident
After a disappointing first two matches, India made a big comeback in the match against Afghanistan. The players, who excelled in both batting and bowling, could not be seen going backwards even at one stage of the match. Confidence was evident in the body language of the players. India will try to maintain this against Scotland as well. The Indian fans and management have been relieved that the team as a whole has risen to prominence at the crucial juncture.
The team may not change
India will play against Scotland with the same players who played against Afghanistan. Captain Kohli may not be ready to make changes to the winning team. Ashwin, who returned to the Indian T20 squad after the break, is likely to play in today’s match as well. Ashwin did not get a chance in the first two matches.
The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are in great form for Team India. In the last match, India got off to a great start. India scored a huge score on the back of their start. The setback was that India, a team that had been on a good start since the openers, failed to do well in the opening two matches.
The return of form along with star all-rounder Hardik Pandya Fitness has made the Indian camp even more excited. Hardik’s inclusion in the World Cup squad has drawn heavy criticism from selectors. But with his excellent performance in the game against Afghanistan, Hardik showed how important he is to the team.
Scotland must be kept
Scotland’s semi-final hopes have been dashed after losing all three of their matches in the Super 12, but the Scottish team cannot be written off like that. They have a handful of great players in their team. Captain Kyle Coates is an aggressively batting opener. All-rounder Richie Berrington is one of the key players on their team. Beware of another all-rounder, Michael Lees. Wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Cross is another player to watch out for. Cross batting in a firing style may pose a threat to the Indian bowling line-up.
In bowling, fast bowlers Safyan Sharif and Broad Wheel are the leading players in the Scottish team. In the first match of the Super 12, the Scottish team lost to Afghanistan by a huge margin of 130 runs. But in later matches they put out a much better game. Scotland lost to Namibia by four wickets and New Zealand by 16 runs. The Scottish team had their best game against the Kiwis. They surrendered after it seemed they would win against the Kiwis at some point.
Only by performing well can India defeat the Scottish army. The only way forward for Virat Kohli and his team is to forget about Kaimai and fight for victory as anything other than victory will affect India’s semi-chances.
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