With India retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a 2-0 lead in the ongoing four match Test series against Australia, they were just one victory away from securing their berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final as well.
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However, a comeback from the Steve Smith-led side during the third Test at Indore which resulted in a nine-wicket victory for them, has added a bit of a twist in the same, and has made way for the entry of a third team into the scheme of things in Sri Lanka.
For the unversed, with the win at Indore, Australia have already qualified for the grand finale which is scheduled to take place from June 7-11, at The Oval in England. With 11 wins off 18 Tests, they have the ‘points won out of points contested’ (PCT) figure of 68.52%, which cannot be toppled by either of India or Sri Lanka.
How can India qualify for WTC Final 2023?
First things first, had India won the Indore Test, they would have booked their WTC 2021-23 grand finale berth alongside Australia. But since they couldn’t, what next?
A win for Rohit Sharma’s men in the ongoing fourth Test match at Ahmedabad, will also ensure that India go through, with 135 points and a PCT of 63%.
However, a loss or draw will bring Sri Lanka into the picture, who are also playing a two-match away Test series against New Zealand. The task would still be daunting for them as they would have to clean sweep the Black Caps 2-0 in the ongoing series.
In case they do manage to clean sweep the Kiwis and India lose or draw the ongoing Test match against the Aussies, Sri Lanka would have their PTC figure raised up to 61%, with 88 points from 12 matches. Whereas, a draw for India would reduce their PTC figure to 59%, which at present stands at 60.29%.
All in all, for Sri Lanka to play versus Australia in the final, they would have to win the ongoing two-match series against New Zealand 2-0, while also pray that India either draw or lose the fourth Test against Australia.
UPDATE: India have qualified for WTC 2021-23 final against Australia to be played at The Oval in June.
WTC 2021-23 points structure
For those unaware, 12 points are added to a team’s tally in case of a victory, 4 points in the event of a draw, and 6 points for a tied Test.
All the nine teams will play six Test series – three home and three away, although the number of Test matches could range from 12-22.
