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How India can still make it to final
India have been battered and bruised in the CB series but as luck would have it, they still have a chance of progressing to the final.
That would need a combination of incredible skill and some luck. We know it is a self-written destiny for India and they really don't deserve to enter the final after such a performance. But, mathematics is mathematics and it is our duty to tell you how India can still make it to the finals starting next Sunday.
Before going any further on the subject, let us give you the rules of the tournament. If teams finish level on points at the end of the group stages, the following criteria will be applied to determine the teams that will progress to the final:
- The team with more wins than the other team
- If teams are level after this criteria, the team with the highest number of bonus points
- If the above two have teams level, then the team with the best Net run rate will go through
India currently have 10 points while Sri Lanka have 15 and Australia 18 points. This effectively means the Aussies are through to the final and the permutations now being worked out will not apply to the Aussies.
Scenario 1 – If India beat Sri Lanka without a bonus point
If India beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and do so without a bonus point, Dhoni & Co will go to 14 points, which will still be 1 point less than Sri Lanka. This would mean India would be knocked out of the tournament regardless of what happens in the Friday fixture between Sri Lanka and Australia. This is because there will already be two teams with points more than that of India after this result. Table in this scenario:
| Teams | Matches played | Won | Lost | Tied | Points |
| Australia | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Sri Lanka | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| India | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 |
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