India has 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.
Despite the Test win, India’s chances of making the WTC Finals are not easy. In fact, the India Cricket Team will have to make the best use of this momentum to carry forward. A wide range of dynamics are at play. India can qualify for the WTC Finals via 2 routes – by Automatic progression and by favorable results.
What India need to do to reach WTC Finals?
India has replaced Australia and has taken the top spot in the WTC Standings. But the job is far from done and Rohit Sharma and Co can’t afford to take it easy. Heading into the Border Gavaskar Trophy, for automatic qualification, India was tasked to win the series by a whopping 4-0 margin.
Now this is a big ask, given there will be 5 Test matches, and that too against Australia. But India has taken their first step towards automatic promotion. The dynamics remain the same. The series should end 4-0 or 5-0 in India’s favor for automatic selection in the WTC Finals.
A 4-1 or 3-0 is not going to make the cut. Only 4 wins and a draw are acceptable. Apart from these two tough scenarios, if there are other outcomes, then India won’t automatically qualify.
Does that mean India can’t play the WTC Finals? Of course, India would be able to play, but in such a case, the team would have to rely heavily on the results of other teams working in India’s favor. And that honestly, can be a very big ask.
