So, another Test series, part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, has ended. The West Indies hosted Bangladesh for two Tests, with the series ending at 1-1. Taijul Islam’s brilliant fifer sealed the deal for the visitors, racking up the Windies for 185 to win the second Test in Jamaica by 101 runs. With this, Bangladesh finished their WTC 2023-25 run at eighth spot, surpassing the West Indies. But what about India? What are the scenarios for Team India to qualify for the final?
Did WI vs BAN 2nd Test result change India’s scenarios to reach WTC Final?
Well, the answer to this is simply no. West Indies and Bangladesh were already out of the WTC Final equation. In fact, there are more matches left for Bangladesh in this WTC cycle. As for the West Indies, they have two away Tests remaining against Pakistan in January. However, even if they win both games, they can reach a maximum point percentage of 35.90.
Updated WTC points table 2023-25 after WI vs BAN 2nd Test
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Ded | Points | Pct |
| 1 | India | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 110 | 61.11 |
| 2 | South Africa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 59.26 |
| 3 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 90 | 57.69 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 50.00 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 50 |
| 6 | England | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 105 | 43.75 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 24.24 |
India’s chances to qualify for WTC 2025 final
India once again reclaimed the top spot of the World Test Championship Standings (WTC). India had previously dropped to the second spot after suffering a humiliating 3-0 loss to New Zealand at home. But now normalcy has resumed after India etched a historic win in Perth by beating Australia for 295 runs. In the WTC Standings, India surpassed Australia to take the top spot. However, Rohit Sharma and his team cannot afford to take it easy because the work is far from finished. India had to win the series by a commanding 4-0 score in order to qualify automatically for the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Given that there will be five Test matches—all against Australia—this is a tall ask. However, India has started down the path to automatic promotion. The dynamics don’t change. India should win the series 4-0 or 5-0 to guarantee their spot in the WTC Finals. A score of 4-1 or 3-0 won’t qualify. There can be no more than four victories and a tie. India won’t automatically qualify if there are other results outside these two difficult situations. Is India thus ineligible to compete in the WTC Finals? India would be allowed to play, of course, but they would have to rely mostly on other teams’ outcomes to work in their favour.
India’s remaining matches
- India vs Australia- December 6-10, Adelaide
- India vs Australia – December 14-18, Brisbane
- India vs Australia – December 26-30, Melbourne
- India vs Australia – January 03 – 07, Sydney
Australia remaining matches
- India vs Australia- December 6-10, Adelaide
- India vs Australia – December 14-18, Brisbane
- India vs Australia – December 26-30, Melbourne
- India vs Australia – January 03 – 07, Sydney
South Africa remaining matches
- South Africa vs Sri Lanka – December 05-09, Gqeberha
- South Africa vs Pakistan – December 26-30, Centurion
- South Africa vs Pakistan – January 03-07, Cape Town
New Zealand’s remaining matches
- New Zealand vs England – December 6-10, Wellington
- New Zealand vs England – December 14-18, Hamilton
WTC Points System
- 12 points for a win
- 6 points for a tie
- 4 points for a draw
- Teams are ranked according to the percentage of points won.
- The Top two teams progress to the final at Lord’s in 2025.
- Point Deductions: Points are deducted for slow over rates
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