Back-to-back defeats in their first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand meant that India’s fate in T20 World Cup 2021 no longer depended on their own performances. While their future hinges on the match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, all that India could do was win their remaining three matches by big margins.
After a comprehensive win against Afghanistan, they defeated Scotland by a massive margin in the 37th match of the tournament on Friday, 5th November. Batting first, Scotland were bowled out for only 85. India chased the total down in the 7th over of the match, at the loss of only two wickets.
With this win, India are now level on points with Afghanistan on the Group 2 points table. More importantly, they have also got past Afghanistan’s net run rate, leapfrogging to third place. Now, if Afghanistan can somehow secure a win against New Zealand, India will need a win against Namibia to qualify for the semi-finals. However, if the Kiwis get the better of Mohammad Nabi’s men, India will be eliminated even before taking on Namibia on Monday, 8th November.
Early wickets set the tone for India
India needed to restrict Scotland to a score of under 120 to chase it down inside 10 overs, and for that to happen, the Men in Blue needed early wickets. In the third over of the match, Jasprit Bumrah bowled Scottish skipper Kyle Coetzer to give Virat Kohli’s team their first dismissal of the match.
George Munsey smashed three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over off Ravichandran Ashwin, but in the last over of the powerplay, Mohammed Shami got the better of him. At the end of the first six overs, Scotland found themselves at 27/2.
Scotland needed to gain some momentum after powerplay, but that was not to happen, as in the seventh over of the match, Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets. He first bowled Richie Berrington in the third ball of the over, while in the last ball, he caught wicket-keeper Matthew Cross leg before wicket.
MacLeod-Leask puts a temporary stop on the continuous of fall of wickets
At 29/4, and with all of their in-form batters sent back to the pavilion, it seemed a score of even 60 will be tough for Scotland to achieve. However, out of form Calum MacLeod and all-rounder Michael Leask set up a decent partnership for the fifth wicket.
The duo ensured that Scotland does not lose any further wickets between the eighth and eleventh over. They did not take any risks and dealt mainly in singles, with Mohammed Shami’s 13-run over being the only big over for the Scots.
Jadeja-Ashwin puts pressure back on Scotland, but MacLeod carries his one-man fight
Just when Scotland were taking positive strides, India got them cornered once again, as Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Michael Leask in the 12th over of the match. Two overs later, Ashwin dismissed Chris Greaves, as Scotland lost their sixth with only 63 runs on the board.
Calum MacLeod held the fort from end one, and he received some sort of support from Mark Watt to help Scotland cross the 80-run mark. At the end of 16 overs, Scotland found themselves at 81/6, aiming to score a minimum of 100 runs.
Shami-Bumrah rattles Scotland’s tail
For the second time, India managed to pick up wickets just when Scotland were building a decent partnership. Virat Kohli’s boys picked up three wickets in the first three balls of the 17th over, bowled by Mohammed Shami.
It was, however, not a hat-trick, as Safyaan Sharif was run out, while MacLeod and Evans were bowled. In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah picked up his second wicket of the match by dismissing Mark Watt, as Scotland were bowled for 85 runs.
Fiery start for India
Just like the match against Afghanistan, the Indian openers got a fiery start in this match as well. Rohit Sharma struck a four in the first over off Mark Watt, while in the second over of the match, KL Rahul smashed three fours off Bradley Wheal’s bowling. Alasdair Evans then conceded 16 runs in the third over of the match, with KL Rahul being the aggressor-in-chief once again.
At the end of the first three overs, India found themselves at 39/0. After Watt, Wheal and Evans, it was then the turn of Safyaan Sharif to bear the brunt of the Indian openers’ super-show. Sharif conceded 14 runs in the fourth over of the match, as India crossed the 50-run mark with sixteen overs to spare.
Two wickets serve as consolation for Scotland, as India get the job done early
In his second over, Bradley Wheal conceded 17 runs in the first five balls, but in his last ball, he finally gave Scotland their first breakthrough. A pin-point yorker got Rohit Sharma dismissed, as the Indian vice-captain departed after scoring a quickfire 30.
A four and a six in the first three overs of the sixth over got India very close to the target, but India lost a wicket in the last ball of the over for the second time. KL Rahul was the player to be dismissed here, but his 19-ball 50 was thoroughly entertaining. In the seventh over of the match, a big six off Suryakumar Yadav’s bat ensured that India get the job done with 13.3 overs to spare, thereby ensuring they get past Afghanistan’s net run rate.
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