Why India’s net run rate is third best despite not losing a single match in Cricket World Cup

Team India is currently unbeaten in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – having won all five games

India is the only unbeaten side in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – but their net run rate is still less than New Zealand and South Africa.

The Indian team is two points clear at the top of the points table following a fifth consecutive victory in the cricket tournament on Sunday.

Team India has 10 points from five matches, with New Zealand in second place with eight points.

The Black Caps suffered their first World Cup loss when they lost to hosts India by four wickets on 22 October.

If India have not lost a single game, why is their net run rate much lesser compared to that of South Africa and New Zealand?

The run rate is the average number of runs scored per over by a team in their innings.

For example, if a team scores 200 off 50 overs, their run rate would be four runs per over. Meanwhile, the net run rate is calculated by subtracting the opposition’s run rate from the other team’s run rate.

The winners will therefore have a positive net run rate and the losing side a negative net run rate.

In a tournament like the Cricket World Cup, the net run rate is worked out by taking the average runs per over scored by a side in each game and subtracting the average runs per over scored against them in each game.

If a team is all out inside their allotted overs, their run rate is calculated by dividing the runs by the maximum overs they could have batted – 50 overs in the case of this tournament.

With South Africa and New Zealand clinching big victories in their recent matches, their net run rate shot up. The Black Caps’ defeat to India on Sunday, however, did not affect their superior net run rate.

India’s net run rate is +1.353, while South Africa and New Zealand, who lost a game each, boosted their net run rates that are at +2.212 and +1.481 respectively.

South Africa, who were recently humbled by Afghanistan, are in the third spot in the World Cup 2023 table with six points. After starting with two back-to-back losses, Australia have now won two games to climb to the fourth place with four points.

In the list of most runs, India star Virat Kohli currently leads the charts. The cricketing star has 354 runs in five matches at an incredible average of 118, including a hundred and three half-centuries.

New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner is the leading wicket-taker this tournament, with 12 scalps, including a five-wicket haul.