Picture Credit: ICC/Netflix
Wishes, fantasies, dreams are always sweet, big and full of happiness. But with these merry dreams, comes a harsh reality that hurt us. The same happened with the Indian fans on Sunday when their fantasy of qualifying for the semi-final took a tragic end.
Their wish of seeing Afghanistan win the game against New Zealand was denied.
Their dream of winning the T20 World Cup was crushed.
But one positive side of it is that you can dream again, you can wish again and surely you can fantasize again. In this article. I don’t want to talk about what went wrong for Team India or what could they have done (FYI, there is another article for that. Check out HERE!). I want to wish; I want to fantasize about how in another world, with another set of rules, India could have advanced to the semi-final of the World Cup.
It’s time to forget about the reality for a few moments and dive into the fictional world of WHAT IF.
WHAT IF … Winning by a big margin provided an extra point!
Let’s be honest, we all have been wishing for this for a while. Although the Big Bash League committee heard the call, ICC is still no way near it. The rule could not only have helped India, but it could also have made the game more exciting and fairer. Just think about the poor South African team. They won 4 out of 5 matches, were tied with Group 1 topper England but still couldn’t make it to the semi-final.
Now coming back to Team India, if this rule had made an appearance in this World Cup, India could have been the 4th semi-finalist, considering how they thrashed Scotland and chased down the target in 6.2 overs.
So, ICC, if you are listening, it’s time to make this wish true.
WHAT IF… There was a wild card entry!
If BIG BOSS can call Raqesh Bapat as a wild card entry to boost their TRPs, why can’t ICC do that? After all, T20I is a game of entertainment. More the entertainment, more viewership and as the great Raju from Phir Hera Pheri said – “Paisa hi paisa hoga”. We all know Team India brings viewership so if there was a wild card entry format, this T20 World Cup could have surely become the BOSS (NOT BIG BOSS!).
WHAT IF… SQUID GAME was played with tied teams!
Don’t worry I am not promoting any violence. But let’s just admit deciding the qualifying team on the basis of net run rate (NRR) is simply BORING! Just imagine, playing the marbles or Sugar Honeycombs to decide which team will qualify for the semi-final! We Indians are experts in playing these types of games and are perfectly called ‘JUGADU’. India would have surely survived these tests and would have easily qualified for the next round.