Mumbai: The defeat in the Test series against New Zealand has made the road to the ICC World Test Championship Final (WTC) difficult for the Indian team. Now, to keep their chances alive for the final, the Indian team will have to win four out of five matches in the series against Australia and draw one match.
Apart from this, the results of other teams will also have to be monitored. In the 5-match Test series, the Indian team can draw only 1 match. They will have to win the remaining 4 matches. It is very difficult to defeat Australia on its own ground. The first Test match is to be played in Perth from November 22. The fast and bouncy pitch is considered one of the most dangerous pitches in the world. It is called a graveyard for batsmen and a paradise for fast bowlers.
The Indian batsmen will have to stand up to the sharp ball of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood along with captain Pat Cummins. Nathan Lyon’s spin will also be a problem. Pat has already said that he will not let India win this time under any circumstances.
In the points table, the Indian team has now slipped to the second position with 58.33 percent points, while the Australian team has now reached the first position with 62.5 percent points. New Zealand has gained one position and the team has moved from fifth to fourth position.
If the Indian team loses even one of the 5 matches, it will be out of the race for the final. If India wins four test matches against Australia and loses one, then it will have a maximum of 64.03 percent points in its account. If Team India wins four matches and manages to draw one match, then it will have 65.78 percent points in its account.
On the other hand, if Australia, which is at number-1, has to get a ticket to the final, then it will have to win 5 out of the next 7 matches. Apart from the 5 match test series against India at home, the Kangaroos also have to play a 2 match series against Sri Lanka at their home. If Australia manages to win 5 out of 7 matches, then they will have 65.78 percent points in their account. South Africa has come into the race for the final after beating Bangladesh 2-0.
They have gained 24 important points in the WTC. South Africa is currently at the 5th position with 54.16 percent points. Now their remaining four matches are against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home. Their record at home has been excellent. If the team wins all these four matches, then they will gain a maximum of 69.44 percent points.
