World Test Championship: India lost the opening match of the three-match series versus New Zealand yesterday at M Chinnatswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The hosts were bundled out for just 46 runs in the 1st innings, which is their third-lowest score in the red ball form of the game.
The Blues also registered their lowest total ever scored at home, when they were all out for just 46. That happened because the star-studded Indian batting line-up failed to cope with the pace bowlers of New Zealand when the conditions were overcast and the pitch supported the fast bowlers the most.
In the second innings, India batted better than their 1st innings. Kohli, Rohit and Pant scored their half-centuries while Sarfraz Khan slammed his maiden century of the red ball format for India. But once the new ball was taken, New Zealand came strongly in the game which helped the visitors to bowl the hosts out for just 462 runs. The Kiwis got a target of just 107 runs in their second innings which they chased down with just a loss of two wickets.
The Kiwis won a Test match in India after 36 years. Their last win in the red ball format in India was way back in 1988 when John Wright was the skipper of that Blackcaps side. The second Test match is scheduled to be played at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune from 24th October 2024 to 28th October 2024. Today, in this segment, we shall mention India’s road to qualify for the World Test Championship final at Lords In 2025 –
World Test Championship: The Qualification Scenarios Of The Men In Blue For WTC Final In 2025 –
India is the number one ranked team in the current finals of the World Test Championship. India has reached the finals of this ICC test event twice till now. However, the team under Rohit Sharma didn’t win those two finals. In 2021, India lost to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final and in 2023, Australia won that one-off Test event.
As of now, India has played 12 red ball matches and they won 8 of them while facing 3 losses with one Test match drawn. Those three losses came versus the good test-playing nations like South Africa (Away), England and New Zealand at home. Now to qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship, India needs to win the remaining 2 Test matches versus New Zealand which are scheduled to be played in Pune and Mumbai.
Later, India will have the toughest series when they tour Australia for the five-match series of the red ball format. Australia is placed second on the points table of the World Test Championship. The Aussies are also the current defending champions of this one-off Test event.
For Australia, the path to the qualification looks easy because, after the India series, Australia will play a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka. However, India needs to win at least 4 matches Down Under, to cement their place in the finals of this red ball event which would be held in London.
