Dubai: India showed their class and might with an all-round effort as they pulverised Scotland by eight wickets in a Super 12 game on Friday, ensuring that they live to fight another day in the ICC T20 World Cup.
The entire match lasted a mere 24.1 overs as India first skittled out Scotland for 85 in 17.4 overs and then batted for another 6.3 overs to knock off the runs, taking the net run rate to +1.619, which is now best among all six teams, even better than top placed Pakistan (+1.065).
To surpass Afghanistan's current net run rate of +1.481, India needed to score the required runs in 7.1 overs and K L Rahul (50 off 19 balls) and Rohit Sharma (30 off 16 balls) added 70 in five overs to make sure that they achieve it in style.
The fastest team 50 of this edition came inside four overs and the poor Scotland bowlers had no idea what hit them as the Indian openers smashed a total of 11 fours and four sixes between them.
But that was the controllable part of the story. What they don't have any control over is their fate and now the Afghans will determine it on Sunday against New Zealand.
A win for Afghanistan will mean that India will know how to win against Namibia and enter the semifinals. A New Zealand victory, though, will knock India out of the tournament.
The disdain with which Rahul batted showed how hurt the Indian team was and at least wanted to course correct the part that they could.
Earlier, Virat Kohli won a toss finally on his 33rd birthday and put Scotland into bat.
India's seasoned bowlers then made short work of the unheralded batting line-up with both Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja returning with identical career-best T20 figures of 3/15.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/10) surpassed Yuzvendra Chahal (63 scalps) to now become India's highest wicket-taker in shortest version.
Plucky left-handed opener George Munsey (24 off 19 balls) clipped Bumrah over square leg for a six and reverse swept Varun Chakravarthy for a boundary to signal positive intent but the gulf in class was always obvious.
Skipper Kyle Coetzer (1) was pegged on the backfoot by a Bumrah yorker first up and then he bowled a slower one which beat the Scotsman all ends up.
A lethal Shami then sent back the dangerous looking Munsey, who failed to clear mid-on. That was the end of Scotland batting's brief bright spot.
The disciplined Jadeja, with his 'darts-like' accuracy, removed Matthew Cross (2), Richie Berrington (0) and Michael Leask (21 off 12 balls) to blow away the middle-order.
Once Scotland were 44/4 after 10 overs, there was no looking back for the Indian bowlers.
