Sourav Ganguly wants to see India-Pakistan clash in semi-finals

1 of 1

New Delhi. Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said he wants Pakistan to qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup 2023 and play against India.

India became the first team to qualify for the World Cup 2023 semi-finals by defeating Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Then, they defeated second-placed South Africa to ensure that they would top the points table at the end of the league stage after winning 8 consecutive matches.

Ganguly told Sports Tak, “I want Pakistan to reach the semi-finals and play India. There can be no bigger semi-final than this.”

The fight for fourth place continues after Australia’s thrilling win against Afghanistan in Pune on Tuesday. Pakistan will play their last match against England on Saturday, they will have to win this match by a big margin and hope that New Zealand loses their match against Sri Lanka on Thursday or the match gets cancelled.

The date and venue of India’s semi-finals will also change depending on the opponents. If it is against New Zealand or Afghanistan, India’s semi-final will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15, but if Pakistan qualifies, India will play the semi-final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on November 16.

This is the biggest reason why former India captain Sourav Ganguly wants a blockbuster India vs Pakistan semi-final.

Ganguly also said that he did not want to ruin India’s chances as they have been playing great cricket throughout the tournament.

New Zealand has a slight advantage over Afghanistan and Pakistan due to their higher net run rate (+0.398). A win against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru will seal their place in the semi-finals. If New Zealand loses or the match is cancelled, Pakistan and Afghanistan can advance. Pakistan will have to beat England to reach the semi-finals, while Afghanistan will have to beat South Africa by 140 runs.

–IANS

read this also – Click to read the news of your state/city before the newspaper.