The 3-1 series win over England helped India finish top of the WTC table with 72.2 percentage points
A comprehensive 3-1 Test series victory over England has confirmed India’s spot in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, where they will meet New Zealand. The WTC final is scheduled between June 18 and 22 at a yet-to-be-named venue in England – the ICC is expected to make the final call soon.
At the start of this Test series, both India and England were in with a shot of making the final. They both needed to win the series, of course, and win it well enough to cross Australia’s points percentage of 69.17. From India’s point of view, a win by at least a 2-1 margin was good enough.
However, a big 227-run defeat in the series opener in Chennai, played out on a flat pitch, increased the pressure on Virat Kohli’s team. It also meant that both Australia and England remained in the fray.
With a win worth 30 points and a draw 10 points, India could not afford to lose another match in the remaining three Tests, and that’s exactly what they ensured – wins by 317 runs in the second Tests in Chennai followed by victories by ten wickets and an innings and 25 runs in Ahmedabad gave them a 3-1 margin of victory. And that meant overtaking Australia to the final with 72.2 percentage points, which also helped them top the points table, clear of New Zealand at 70.
More to follow…