India's chances of reaching the semi-final will brighten if Afghanistan beat New Zealand on Sunday (AP Photo)

T20 World Cup: Whole of India is behind you - Support pours in for Afghanistan vs New Zealand

T20 World Cup 2021: A section of India fans have come up with hilarious memes and posts on social media as they back Afghanistan to beat New Zealand in Sunday's crucial Super 12 match in Abu Dhabi. An Afghanistan victory will brighten India's chances of reaching the semi-final.

by · India Today

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Afghanistan take on New Zealand in their final Super 12 match on Sunday
  • An Afghanistan win will brighten India's chances of reaching the semi-final
  • New Zealand will eliminate India and Afghanistan if they win on Sunday

All eyes will be on the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 match between Afghanistan and New Zealand on Sunday as India's outside chances of reaching the semi-final rest heavily on the said encounter in Abu Dhabi. India don't have their fate in control but they are not out of the semi-final race yet, thanks to a heated battle in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage.

Only England, Australia and Pakistan have confirmed their berths in the semi-final stage so far as a 3-way race is on for the final spot in the final four of T20 World Cup 2021. New Zealand are favourites to get to the semi-final as a win on Sunday will seal their qualification while Afghanistan and India have to wait for other results to go their way.

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An Afghanistan win will brighten up India's chances as New Zealand will be stopped from getting to 8 points. India, who are with 4 points from 4 matches and the best Net Run Rate in Group 2, are likely to go through if Afghanistan beat New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and they hammer Namibia in Monday's match in Dubai.

Ahead of the crunch game, support has been pouring in for Afghanistan as India fans have taken to social media to wish Mohammad Nabi's men the best for their Sunday's game against New Zealand.

Notably, India found themselves in a spot of bother after losing the first two matches of their T20 World Cup campaign for the first time in history. India were hammered by arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets in their World Cup opener and they slipped to an 8-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the following match. However, Virat Kohli's men bounced back with big wins over Afghanistan and Scotland to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

From wishing Rashid Khan to advising proper rest for the Afghanistan team, India fans have been actively backing Nabi's men.

Afghanistan were hammered by India in their previous Super 12 match as Virat Kohli's men posted 210 runs on the board before sealing a 66-run victory. On the other hand, New Zealand are heading into the match on the back of a big win over Namibia.

All eyes will be on the availability of mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman as he missed their last two matches due to a niggle.

If the Afghan batters can put up a sizeable score, then the bowling unit with Rashid Khan at the forefront could be more than a handful.

How the New Zealand batters handle the middle overs when star spinner Rashid Khan would be in operation would have a huge say on how the match pans out and a good start by the powerful Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell could prove crucial as would skipper Williamson's contribution.