What Is India’s Road To WTC Final After Loss vs Australia Indore?: Australia made a resounding comeback in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy by registering an emphatic 9-wicket victory in the Indore Test, finishing their chase of 76 runs inside an hour and a half on the morning of Day 3.
With the victory in the Indore Test, not only Australia have kept the series alive, which now stands at 2-1, but, importantly, they have sealed their place in the World Test Championship final.
India can still miss the WTC final
This has now put immense pressure back on India, who will have to win the 4th Test, to be played in Ahmedabad if they have to keep their destiny in their own hands.
What is the scenario for India to reach the WTC final?
If India win the Ahmedabad Test, they will seal their place in the WTC final. However, a draw or a loss will bring Sri Lanka into the equation. Should India fail to win in Ahmedabad, and if Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 2-0, then Sri Lanka will qualify for the WTC final and face Australia.
It is not to forget that New Zealand haven’t been as strong even at home in this WTC cycle as they were in the previous ones: they have lost home Test matches to Bangladesh, England, and escaped another loss to England by just 1 run. Sri Lanka are a spirited team that a few years ago beat South Africa 2-0 in South Africa and have a spate of experienced players and express fast bowlers in their ranks.
Most of the Indian batters struggled in this game as the hosts were bundled out for 109 and 163. Matthew Kuhnemann took a five-fer in the first innings, but it was Nathan Lyon who ran the show in the second innings taking 8/64, including the dismissal of India’s best batter in the game, Cheteshwar Pujara, dismissed via a stunning one-handed catch from captain Steve Smith, who was phenomenal as the skipper.
Lyon was adjudged the Player of the Match.
India captain Rohit Sharma rued the batting malfunctions in both innings.
“Obviously we didn’t bat well in the first innings and we understand how important it is to put runs on the board. Once they got a 80-90 run lead, we had to produce another innings with the bat and we were not able to do that. If we had batted well in the first innings then things would have been different,” Rohit said.
“We want few guys stand up and put their hand up to take the team through,” said Rohit.
The batters will have to step up in Ahmedabad, where the fourth Test will start from 9 March.
