Team India. | (Credits: Twitter)
Team India’s return to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table has been short-lived after a heavy defeat to Australia in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval. As a result, Australia have regained the top spot in the table and have once again jumped into contention to play in the final.
Heading into day three of the pink-ball Test, Australia held the upper hand as India still trailed by 29 runs with only five wickets remaining. It needed the hosts a little less than a session to take the remaining wickets, with Mitchell Starc dismissing Rishabh Pant in the first over of the day. Pat Cummins shone with a fifer, while Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja chased down the required 19 runs with ten wickets to spare.
With their percentage points slipping to 57.29 and only three more Tests left, they cannot afford another loss if they are to play the final. If India win two Tests out of three and manage a draw, their percentage points will rise to 60.52. A win in all three remaining Tests would mean India will progress to the final.
In case of a 3-2 victory for India, their percentage points will remain on 58.77. In that case if South Africa beat both Sri Lanka and Pakistan, they will progress to the final. A 3-1 result for India will also see them progressing to the final. A 2-2 result means 57.01 percentage points for India, but Australia must beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in their backyard to play the decider. In such a scenario, India will no longer remain in contention for the final.
While Australia are currently leading the WTC table, South Africa are at second. The Proteas, currently playing Sri Lanka, lead the two-Test series 1-0 and are in a promising position to win the series. They will also start as firm favourites to win the following Test series against Pakistan at home.
“There were times when we could have grabbed the opportunity but failed” – Rohit Sharma
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that it was a disappointing week for them and lauded Australia for their approach in the pink-ball Test. He stated at the post-match presentation:
“Disappointing week for us. We didn’t play well enough to win the game. Australia played better than us. There were times when we could have grabbed the opportunity but failed, which cost us the game. What we did in Perth was great but every game throws a new challenge. Looking forward to the next Test and we will see what we did well in Perth and in Brisbane too last time.”
