The Indian Women's Cricket Team suffered their first defeat in the ongoing ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 tournament, losing to South Africa by three wickets in Vizag on Thursday, October 10. The bitter loss came after India's two thumping wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The slip-up against the Proteas has placed India in a challenging position as they aim to qualify for the top four spots.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side is currently sitting in third position on the points table with four points. Meanwhile, South Africa has shown exemplary recovery after being shot down for 69 against England, and winning the next two games against New Zealand and India. However, the path ahead for Women In Blue only gets tougher, as they face Australia on Sunday, October 12, in Vizag, followed by games against England and New Zealand.
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How can India qualify for the Semi-finals?
The qualification for India remains in their hands at the present moment, despite the loss against the Proteas. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side needs to secure wins in at least three of their remaining four matches to ensure a spot in the semis. However, another slip-up could make things a bit challenging for the hosts, potentially making their chances of last four depend on other match results.
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History has also not been kind to India in the Women's World Cup. In the 2022 edition, teams with three losses managed to qualify for the next phase, while India, despite managing to win four games, failed to reach the semis in Mithali Raj's last World Cup. The theme suggests the Kaur-led side still have room for errors, however ensuring an early qualification would be more advantageous for the hosts than relying on other results.
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