India’s aspirations for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final took a major blow following a 184-run loss to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday. The defeat reduced India’s points percentage (PCT) from 55.89 to 52.77, placing them third with their seventh loss of this WTC cycle.
In the meantime, Australia strengthened their prospects with their 10th victory of the cycle, increasing their PCT from 58.89 to 61.45. Having already booked a place in next year’s WTC final at Lord’s after beating Pakistan, South Africa allows Australia to knock India out of the race by either winning or drawing the final Test in Sydney starting on January 3.
Presently occupying second place in the standings, Australia can secure a spot alongside South Africa in the 2025 one-off Test decider by winning any of their three remaining Tests in this cycle.
How can India reach the WTC final now?
India’s aspirations for a spot in the WTC final are still intact but uncertain. To ensure a place in the final, they need to win the Sydney Test to equal the Border-Gavaskar series and then rely on Australia losing all their games in the forthcoming series in Sri Lanka, set for next month.
The loss at the MCG has made the forthcoming SCG Test a critical must-win game for India to maintain their World Test Championship aspirations. Even if India secures a win in Sydney, they will require Australia to stumble on their tour of Sri Lanka, wishing for a 1-0 or 2-0 series victory for the home team. Should both Tests in Sri Lanka conclude as draws, Australia will clinch their place in the final. The maximum winning percentage India can reach, even with a victory at the SCG, is 55.26, putting some control of their destiny beyond their grasp. Indi need to win the last match with a huge margin with other prospects to look..
