World Test Championship: What is India's chances for WTC Final after clean sweep against Bangladesh

Team India proved why they are one of the best Test teams in the world by winning a game that was headed for a draw. With a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh at home, India has solidified its lead in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table. With the victory in Kanpur, the Men in Blue remain at the top of the table with a PCT of 74.24, followed by Australia in second place with 62.50 and Sri Lanka in third with 55.56.

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Bangladesh, on the other hand, has dropped two spots to seventh, with their PCT falling from 39.29% to 34.37%. Pakistan is struggling near the bottom of the points table, sitting in ninth place with a PCT of 19.05, while West Indies is last with a PCT of 18.52.

How can India qualify for the WTC final?

India is well-positioned for a 3rd consecutive appearance in the WTC Final, with their main competitors being Australia and Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma will have a small break before they take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series starting October 16. If the Men in Blue manage a 3-0 clean sweep, it would almost guarantee India's place in the final.

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Following this home season, India will fly Down Under to face Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series starting in December. Even a single win in Australia will secure India's spot in the final. If India fails to win a single match in the five-Test series, their qualification hopes will rely on the results of Sri Lanka's series against South Africa and Australia.

India's victory over Bangladesh:

After bowling out Bangladesh for 146 runs in their second innings—thanks to three-wicket hauls from Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah—India chased down the 95-run target in just 17.2 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored another half-century while Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 29 as India defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in the rain-affected second Test. 

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Earlier, Ashwin (3/50), Jadeja (3/34), and Bumrah (3/17) dismantled the Bangladesh batting lineup, allowing the visitors to add only 120 runs to their overnight total of 26/2. Shadman Islam was Bangladesh's highest scorer in the second innings, scoring 50 runs. The lunch session was extended by nearly an hour to get the final wicket of Bangladesh to end the innings. 

Earlier, in their first innings, Bangladesh was bundled out for 233 runs, while India quickly scored 285/9 playing a T20 style of cricket and declared their innings, in a match where two days were completely lost due to rain and a wet outfield.

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