India was the heavy favorite to go to the championship match of the 2021–23 World Test Championship (WTC) after reaching the finals in the inaugural edition’s tournament. However, the recent Edgbaston Test loss to England has seriously hurt their hopes.
Last year, India seized a 2-1 series lead over England, which marked the beginning of their quest to redemption after losing to New Zealand in the final. However, their campaign has suffered since Manchester’s fifth and final Test match was postponed. The Rohit Sharma-led team is in risk of missing the summit match after failing to overcome New Zealand in the inaugural Test at home in Kanpur and losing series in South Africa.
India dropped to fourth place as a result of the defeat at Edgbaston and the two points assessed for the sluggish overrate. The former finalist currently has a PCT percentage of 52.08 percent. Pakistan is in third with 52.38 percent, while Australia and South Africa are in first and second place, respectively, with 77.78 percent and 71.43 percent.
Here’s how team India can still qualify for the World Test Championship:
All six of Team India’s remaining games must be victories. They will gain 72 points if all goes smoothly, raising their points percentage to 68.05. Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan must have lower point percentages than the stated number if India finishes with 68.05 percent on the WTC points table.
Three games against England, two against New Zealand, and two against Sri Lanka are on the schedule for Pakistan. If they win all six, they can top the standings with a percentage of greater than 68. They will have fewer than 68 percent of the points, though, if they win five games and choose to settle for draws in their final two contests.
They can win the next six games to take first place even if they lose 0-4 to India. Australia must drop at least four games and accept a tie in one of their final six games if they want to prevent India from taking first place.
Three games will be played between South Africa and England, two against the West Indies, and three versus Australia. They need to score 62 points from their remaining games in order to attain a 68 points percentage.