Criteria for India to qualify for WTC final: How can SL qualify for WTC final?

India aren’t in the best of positions in the ongoing fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 Test match against Australia in Ahmedabad but that is unlikely to affect their current position on the points table of ICC World Test Championship 2021-23.

In simple words, India are still the favourites to qualify for the final match of the second edition of the WTC even whilst their bowlers are struggling to find ways to put an end to a fifth-wicket partnership between Australia opener Usman Khawaja and all-rounder Cameron Green.

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For the unversed, the visitors scored 92/0 in 29 overs in the morning session of the second day on Friday. In addition to the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium not assisting them, Indian bowlers bowling substandard lines and lengths throughout the innings haven’t benefited them either.

Criteria for India to qualify for WTC final

First things first, Australia have already qualified for the final of the Test Championship. On the other hand, India and Sri Lanka are the only two teams who can qualify for the final.

If India win their ongoing match by staging an emphatic comeback in the remaining 11 sessions, they will automatically qualify as the second team for WTC final 2023 making the result of New Zealand-Sri Lanka two-match Test series irrelevant with respect to the tournament.

Assuming that India draws or losses their last match of the series, they will still stand a chance to play the final match in June only if Sri Lanka don’t whitewash New Zealand in New Zealand. Any other result of that series will power India to the final.

UPDATE: India have qualified for WTC 2021-23 final against Australia to be played at The Oval in June.

How can SL qualify for WTC final?

1) Hope that India don’t win Ahmedabad Test.

2) Beat New Zealand 2-0.

The World Test Championship is getting just a tiny bit more interesting with Australia having an excellent day 1 and New Zealand floundering a bit against Sti Lanka.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 10, 2023

For Sri Lanka to qualify, both the above mentioned conditions will have to come true. While the first one isn’t in the Sri Lankan team’s hands, the second one requires them to play miraculously well to win back-to-back Tests in New Zealand.

Can SA qualify for WTC final 2023?

Other than India and New Zealand, South Africa are also hosting a Test series at the moment. In the middle of a two-match series against West Indies, South Africa will continue to stand eliminated even if they beat West Indies 2-0. Currently at the fourth position on the points table, South Africa (52.38) won’t be able to surpass either of India (60.29) or Sri Lanka (53.33).

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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