India’s chances of reaching the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) were significantly reduced after their pink-ball Test defeat against Australia in Adelaide. With the third Test in play due to India’s problems with the bat and the threat of rain, the WTC dream seems to be fading away.
India played in the first two editions of the World Test Championship final and participation in the third will currently top the list of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. However, the 3-0 home defeat against New Zealand significantly reduced India’s chances of qualifying for the summit clash and now the challenges in Australia widen the gap further.
To qualify for the WTC final without relying on other results, India needs to register a 4-1 win in the ongoing five-match Test series against Australia. However, if the third Test ends in a draw, India will have to win at least one of the remaining two Test matches to stay in contention.
A win in either of the next two matches will give India a better Competition Percentage (PCT) than Australia, provided the hosts lose both matches against Sri Lanka. If India wins their remaining two matches, they will qualify for the WTC final, regardless of Australia’s results against Sri Lanka.
However, if the series ends 2-2, India’s fate will depend on the results of the other teams. In this scenario, India will qualify for the WTC final if Sri Lanka beat Australia 1-0 in the two consecutive matches. But if Australia wins a match against Sri Lanka, India’s WTC hopes will be dashed.
Interestingly, Pakistan can also play a crucial role in helping India qualify for the WTC final. If the India vs Australia series ends 2-2 and Pakistan beats South Africa in the two-match Test series, India will qualify for the WTC final. In this scenario, South Africa will be absent and India will face Australia in the WTC final, a repeat of the last edition.
Australia’s path to the WTC final is relatively simpler. If the India-Australia series ends 2-2, Australia will qualify for the WTC final if they manage a 1-1 draw against Sri Lanka.
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