India Direct Qualification for Olympics 2028 In Risk: Team India has been maintaining its dominance in T20 cricket for a long time. India has been occupying the number-1 position in the ICC T20 team rankings since the year 2022. But the recent fate of Team India under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer has increased the concerns of Indian cricket fans. After losing the series first against Ireland and then against England, now India is not only on the verge of losing the number-1 crown, but it can also have a direct impact on the qualification for Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
Heavy decline in rating points due to consecutive defeats
When the Indian team started this UK tour, it had a total of 275 rating points in its account. But what happened after this, no one had imagined. Team India suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat against Ireland, due to which the rating points dropped to 272. Now in the five-match series against England, India has lost three out of the four matches played so far, while one match was canceled due to rain. After this shameful performance, Team India’s rating points have fallen to 269.
On the other hand, the England team is enjoying continuous victories and has come very close to India with 267 rating points. Now only 2 points are left between the two teams. In such a situation, if the Indian team loses the fifth and last match of the series against England, then it will lose the number-1 position.
What are the rules of Olympic qualification?
This question must be arising in the minds of cricket fans that what does this ranking have to do with the Olympics. Actually, cricket has been included in the Los Angeles Olympics to be held in the year 2028. According to the rules of its qualification, if the Indian men’s team wants to qualify directly for the Olympics, then it will have to remain on top among Asian teams in the ICC T20 rankings till the end of the year 2026.
If Team India’s graph continues to fall like this, then it may have to suffer huge losses in the future. The only thing of relief is that Pakistan team, which is second in the ranking of Asian teams, is currently at sixth position in the overall ranking with 240 rating points, which is far behind India. But if India continues to lose matches, this difference may also reduce.
India’s schedule after England series
After this tour of England is over, the Indian team has many series to play to improve its ranking and secure the ticket to the Olympics.
- Zimbabwe tour in late July: three-match T20 International series.
- Clash with West Indies in early October: 5-match T20 series at home.
- New Zealand tour in October-November: 5-match T20 series against the Kiwis at home.
- Facing Sri Lanka at the end of the year: three-match T20 series at home.
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