WTC 2023-25: After Pune loss, can India still qualify for the World Test Championship Final? Here's what we know
New Zealand's 2-0 series lead has dropped India's WTC points percentage (PCT) from over 74% to 62.82% in just eight days.
Updated : October 26, 2024 05:06 PM ISTNew Zealand's 2-0 series lead has dropped India's WTC points percentage (PCT) from over 74% to 62.82% in just eight days.
Team India in WTC 2023-25
While they were favourites to win the series against New Zealand, Team India surprised everyone by losing their first two Tests of the three-match series. After losing in Bengaluru, they also fell short in Pune, denting the Men in Blue's plans to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 Final.
New Zealand's 2-0 series lead has dropped India's WTC points percentage (PCT) from over 74% to 62.82% in just eight days. Despite this decline, Rohit Sharma's team remains in the top spot, holding a narrow edge over second-placed Australia, which has a PCT of 62.50%.
A tough loss for #TeamIndia in Pune.
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 26, 2024
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/YVjSnKCtlI #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PlU9iJpGih
What are India's WTC Qualification chances?
India's chances of qualifying for the WTC remain slightly within reach, but they will need favourable results from other teams if they slip up in the remaining six Tests. Their next match against New Zealand is in Mumbai, starting November 1, followed by the last five Tests of this cycle during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November 22 to early January. In addition to Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka could also impact India's chances in the remainder of the cycle.
New Zealand stir up the race to the #WTC25 Final with a historic win over India in Pune 👀 #INDvNZ | Read on 👇https://t.co/0QYbooJJlB
— ICC (@ICC) October 26, 2024
How many defeats can India afford?
To qualify without relying on other teams, India cannot afford any more defeats in their remaining six matches. They can only allow for one draw and must win five matches to finish with a points percentage (PCT) of 71.05. If they achieve six outright wins, Rohit Sharma and the team could amass 170 points, resulting in a strong 74.56 PCT. However, this would require an impressive 5-0 sweep in Australia against the defending WTC champions.