An upbeat Indian team will hope to keep their semi-final chances alive with they take on Scotland in the T20 World Cup Group 2 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
After losing their opening games against Pakistan and New Zealand that has almost knocked them out of the mega event, India managed to collect their first points of the campaign with a rousing victory over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The Indian batting unit was ruthless against the celebrated Afghan attack for a change. Openers Rohit Sharma (74) and KL Rahul (69) forged a 140-run opening stand after India were put in to bat at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, laying the foundation for the massive first innings total of 210/2.
Afghanistan, in reply, lost wickets from the outset and weren’t able to build partnerships along the way. Ravichandran Ashwin, playing his first white-ball game for India since 2017, was among the wickets as he got rid of middle-order batters Gulbadin Naib and Najibullah Zadran to reduce the Afghans to 69/5 in the 12th over. Despite a fighting sixth-wicket stand from skipper Mohammad Nabi (35) and Karim Janat (42*), the Afghans never stood a chance thereafter, and ended up losing by 65 runs.
India’s win on Wednesday leaves Scotland as the only team on Group 2 without a victory so far in the Super 12s stage of the tournament. The Scottish team had earlier got their Round 1 campaign off to a stirring start with a narrow six-run win over Bangladesh, and would go on to defeat Papua New Guinea as well as Oman comfortably to progress to the Super 12s.
However, the second round of the biggest T20 event hasn’t been kind to them. They started off with a 130-run thrashing at the hands of the ruthless Afghans, getting shot out for a paltry 60, and suffered a four-wicket loss at the hands of Namibia in their next game.
Despite the defeats, the Scots showed spirit in their 16-run loss to New Zealand in the first game of Wednesday’s double header. After being set 173 to win by the Kiwis, with Martin Guptill missing out on a ton by seven runs, Scotland got off to a steady start, and were 66/1 in the eighth over before losing their next four wickets for 40 runs that complicated their job.
A fighting contribution from Michael Leask (42 not out off 20 balls, 3X4, 3X6) gave them a late boost and rekindled their hopes, but the Black Caps managed to hold on to their nerves to add another two points against their name in the end.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming game between India and Scotland:
When will the Group 2 match of the T20 World Cup 2021 between India and Scotland take place?
The match between India and Scotland will take place on 5 November 2021.
What is the venue for the India and Scotland match?
The match will take place at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
What time will the India and Scotland match start?
The match will begin at 7.30 pm IST. The toss will take place at 7 pm IST.
Which TV channels will broadcast the India and Scotland match
The match will be telecast on the Star Sports Network. The live streaming of the match will also be available on Disney+ Hotstar. Besides, you can browse Firstpost.com for live updates and over-by-over commentary.