India Knocked Out of World Test Championship Final
The WTC has changed the face of Test cricket for the better, providing teams with a clear route to the ultimate prize—qualification for the final in London.
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The WTC is a two-year competition, with cricket’s top nine nations battling out each other in the league format of competition, with each side looking to get as many points as possible to fight their way to the final.
India, one of the best teams in international cricket, is facing a tough challenge to ensure its place in the World Test Championship Final.
As of December 12, 2024, the hopes of India reaching the WTC Final are hanging by a thread.
The country has been doing well but inconsistent, and qualification to the final is now dependent on a sequence of important fixtures and positive outcomes in the next couple of months.
This article goes into the details of why it has been so challenging for India to make it to the WTC final, looking at their present position, recent performances, and what factors have made this journey to the final hard.
The WTC Format and India’s Stand
The WTC functions as a league competition where the teams compete over a cycle of two years of home and away matches.
For every match, there are points granted according to the result – a win receives 12 points, a draw receives 6, and a loss fetches 4 points. The top two teams after the league stage participate in the final.
Currently, the standings in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle are as follows:
| Position | Team | Matches Played | Wins | Losses | Draws | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 76 | 63.33% |
| 2 | Australia | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 102 | 60.71% |
| 3 | India | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 110 | 57.29% |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 60 | 45.45% |
| 5 | England | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 114 | 45.24% |
| 6 | New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 69 | 44.23% |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 33.33% |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 31.25% |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 24.24% |
At the time of writing, India is in third place with 57.29% points percentage (PCT). South Africa and Australia are ahead, with 63.33% and 60.71% respectively.
To qualify for the final, India needs to finish in the top two, which means they must win several upcoming series and hope for other teams to falter.
Significance of the upcoming Australia series
India’s qualification chances have been badly affected by their performance in the ongoing series and the series that is ahead.
India will face Australia in a five-match series, with the first Test scheduled in Perth. This series is important for India’s chances of qualifying for the final as it is in the format.
India needs to win four matches to improve their points percentage significantly.
A 4-0 or 4-1 result would give India 48 points (12 points per win), which would push them up the table and make it much harder for other teams to catch up.
However, a 4-0 or 4-1 result will be hard to achieve because of Australia’s strong record in the WTC and their dominance in recent years.
The team hails from Australia, which is one of the best cricket-playing teams in the world with a history of winning both on home turf and abroad.
India’s Recent Performance: A Mixed Bag
India’s performance so far in the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship has been patchy.
The side did well in some spots and badly in others, although it did not stop India from beating New Zealand comprehensively in the historic home series, losing 3-0. It was their first home series loss since 2012. That left both fans and analysts bewildered.
The defeat dented not only India’s chances in the points table but also exposed weaknesses in their team.
Losses against New Zealand had pinpointed a few of these issues: lack of batting consistency, a fragile middle-order, and bowling inconsistencies. India has world-class players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant, but these stars could not deliver.
Inability to win key matches at home became a major setback for India.
Overseas performances have also been a challenge for India. Though they have been competitive, they have not dominated on away tours as they did at home.
Not being able to win regularly abroad makes the journey to the final even tougher. So the performance of the team in the upcoming Australia series will go a long way in deciding whether India can reach the final.
Why It Is Tough for India to Make It to the Semifinals
1. The Tough Competition: The challenge India faces is that they have been competing with some other cricketing giants. Such countries include Australia, South Africa, and England. The above teams have had their own good run in this competition by winning series back home and abroad.
2. India’s Erratic Form: The first point to be mentioned is that India has been inconsistent in the WTC. While they have lost series against New Zealand, and their standing has been affected by some drawn series, they are still able to win games against weaker teams but cannot get the key series done.
3. Pressure of Away Tours: India’s away tours have been challenging. Their performance in Australia, South Africa, and England has been mixed. This inconsistency on foreign soil has hurt their chances of securing enough points to finish in the top two.
4. Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic: The pandemic and the impact on international schedules affected India’s planning and preparation. Many series had to be postponed or rescheduled, which created a crowded calendar. The pressure of playing so many series in quick succession has told on the team’s performance and fitness.
5. Strong Opponents: Australia and South Africa have been performing at a very high level. Their consistent form and winning key matches made it hard for India to take over the standings.
6. Injuries and Rotation: Injuries to prominent players have also been a challenge for India. Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and other such players have seen injuries at crucial times, upsetting the balance of the team. Besides this, the need to rotate the players to avoid player fatigue has caused a lack of continuity in their performances.
It is too early to say whether India will be going to the WTC Final, but the road looks pretty tough. They have to win most of their remaining matches and wait for other results to go their way.
India can turn their fortunes around, especially in the Australian series, but the pressure mounts. The competition is fierce and the team’s inconsistent form has become a major concern.
India’s qualification to the WTC Final is not entirely in their hands, but it would take a herculean effort in the remaining matches.
They will have to play their best cricket and hope for favorable results from other series to ensure their place in the final. The next few months will be very crucial for India, and how they go about playing against Australia will be the key to their qualification hopes.
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