India eye a semi-final spot against Australia at Lord’s

India go to Lord’s on Sunday knowing a win over Australia books their place in the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals. Beat the six-time champions and Harmanpreet Kaur’s side are through with something to spare. Slip up, and they are left waiting on results elsewhere to drag them over the line.

That is the situation India have built for themselves after a stop-start group campaign. The five-wicket win over Bangladesh on June 25, set up by Shafali Verma’s fifty, lifted them to six points from four matches and back into second place in Group 1. It also repaired some of the damage from the earlier defeat to South Africa, the result that turned what looked like a comfortable run into a nervier one.

Where the group stands

Australia sit top on eight points from four games and have all but sealed their semi-final spot. Their net run rate is so far clear of the chasing pack that even a heavy loss to India would not realistically push them out of the top two. For everyone else, the maths is tighter. India are second on six points, level with South Africa, while Bangladesh are also still alive on four.

The top two from each group go through. England were the first team to qualify anywhere in the tournament, confirming their semi-final place by beating West Indies on June 24. Group 1’s second ticket is the one still up for grabs, and India hold the strongest hand going into the final round.

What India need at Lord’s

The simple version: win, and India are in. A victory over Australia would take them to eight points and almost certainly secure a top-two finish, with their net run rate already healthy after the margins of their group wins.

A defeat is where it gets uncomfortable. India would stay on six, and South Africa, with one game left against Bangladesh, could climb above them by winning. That would leave India sweating on other results and net run rate rather than controlling their own fate. It is why a fixture that might once have been a dead rubber, with Australia already through, carries real weight for the visitors.

A familiar last hurdle

Australia are the team India keep running into at the business end of these tournaments, and they remain the benchmark in the women’s game. India have never won the T20 World Cup, with their only final ending in an 85-run defeat to Australia in 2020. The 50-over title finally came in November 2025, when India beat South Africa to be crowned ODI world champions, but the shortest format is still the gap on the CV, and the holders this time are New Zealand rather than Australia.

Shafali’s form at the top is the encouraging part. So is the control India’s spinners showed against Bangladesh. Do both again at Lord’s and the semi-final talk takes care of itself. The match starts at 7:00 PM IST on Sunday, June 28.

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