ICC World Test Championships: Can India qualify for the finals?

 South Africa’s defeat to England in the Test series 1-2 has made the race to qualify for the World test Championship more captivating. At the moment, 6 out of 9 teams are in their race to reach the finals. The teams that are eligible for the ICC World Test Championships 2021-23 are India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Pakistan.

New Zealand won the previous edition of the World Test Championship and cannot qualify for the final this time. South Africa’s recent loss to England made Australia take the top spot in the points table with a PCT of 70.0. South Africa took the seventh spot with a PCT of 60.0. Sri Lanka and India are at the third and fourth spots. The former’s PCT is 53.33 and the latter’s PCT is 53.08. On the other hand, Pakistan and West Indies have a PCT of 51.85 and 50.0 reserving the 5th and 6th places respectively.

How can India qualify for the World Test Championships finale?

India ranks fourth with 52.08% in the ICC World Test Championships. Bangladesh has two tests to play and Australia has four. India has two Tests to play against Bangladesh and if its a positive result, the forthcoming battle for the Border Gavaskar Trophy will be a huge deal. India also has a good result at home against Australia. If India beats both team, they’ll qualify for the Second World Test Championship final in a row.

There’s also a probability of India facing their arch-rivals Pakistan in the World Test Championship finals.

Sri Lanka: PCT- 53.33

Sri Lanka is at the third spot in the WTC points table with a PCT of 53.33. They have two matches to play against New Zealand. Even if the team wins both the games against New Zealand, still they won’t be able to get the top two spots.

 Australia : PCT- 70

Australia is in the leading position and to be able to qualify for the first World Test Championship final, they would need to win all the tests during the next year’s tour of India

South Africa: PCT- 60

Their loss against England made them lose their spot in the first place though they still have chance to reach the finals. The series against Australia would be an important deciding factor for both sides.

West Indies: PCT- 50.0

West Indies at the moment has 50% PCT and will play two Tests against Australia and two Tests against South Africa. If they reach a PCT of 65.38 by winning all four games they can reach the finale.

England (38.59), New Zealand (25.93), and Bangladesh (13.33)

England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh are already out of the race to the final of ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. They do have the power to affect other teams and their journeys to the finale. Bangladesh will play two games against India and England will play three matches against Pakistan. New Zealand will face both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in two Tests.

Fifth – Pakistan – 51.85% 

Pakistan is in fifth place and has the luxury to play the rest of the dive Test matches in home soil. If they win all five matches, their percentage will rise to 69.05% which is enough to qualify for the finals.

Updated Point Table

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