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India vs Australia: Will Rohit Sharma's team qualify for World Test Championship Final?

If India lose the fourth Test and Sri Lanka beat New Zealand 2-0 in their upcoming series, they will miss out on the June event

Published: Fri 3 Mar 2023, 12:01 PM

Updated: Fri 3 Mar 2023, 12:04 PM

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Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

Australia qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final on Friday, defeating India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Indore.

Australia now lead the table with 68.52 WTC points, having qualified for the June event after their nine-wicket victory on Indore’s turning track. The result of the fourth Test in the ongoing series will have no bearing on them.


India are on the second spot with 60.29 points, and things get interesting here.

If Rohit Sharma’s side lose the fourth Test and Sri Lanka beat New Zealand 2-0 in their upcoming series, India will miss out on the final battle for supremacy in the longer format in the one-off Test at The Oval. For Sri Lanka qualify in that scenario.

India had featured in the inaugural World Test Championship Final in 2021, going down to New Zealand.

The India-Australia fourth Test starts on March 9 in Ahmedabad. A victory there will take India a straight to the coveted event. But even a draw will keep the door open for Sri Lanka, according to a report on governing body International Cricket Council (ICC)’s website.

Sri Lanka will play two away Tests against New Zealand later this month, the report said.

“Australia have been the dominant side during this World Test Championship period (2021-23)”, having won 11 of the 18 Tests they have featured in, the report added.

On the third day of the Indore Test, Australia’s Travis Head hit an unbeaten 49, taming India’s spin attack to spearhead an emphatic win for his team.

Trailing 0-2 in the four-match series, Australia dominated from word go, dismissing the home team for 109 after India won the toss and opted to bat. Australia then posted 197, registering an 88-run first-innings lead.

Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon took eight wickets to bowl India out for 163 in the second innings on Day 2 and give Australia a target of 76 runs with three days to play – which the visiting side achieved without any hiccups.

"When you are playing on challenging pitches you have to bowl. We allowed their bowlers to bowl in one spot. Not to take any credit away from their bowlers, Nathan Lyon especially. We had to try and be brave, which I think we were not," PTI news agency quoted Indian captain Sharma as saying at the presentation ceremony.

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