WTC Final: Australia sealed their place in the World Test Championship 2023 final with their 9-wicket victory over India in the Indore Test.
The second place in the WTC final is still up for grabs and there are two teams in the hunt of it.
India and Sri Lanka are in contention for the second spot in WTC final
The equation for India is clear: win the 4th Test against Australia in Ahmedabad and book their place in the WTC final.
Sri Lanka face New Zealand in New Zealand in a 2-Test series.
If India win the Ahmedabad Test, they will reach the WTC final, and then even a 2-0 win for Sri Lanka in New Zealand won’t help the Lankans reach the WTC final.
However, Australia’s resurgence in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series has made it a bit tricky for India.
If India lose or return with a draw in the Ahmedabad Test, then Sri Lanka will have a chance to qualify for the World Test Championship final.
If India happen to lose or draw the Ahmedabad Test match, it will open the gates for Sri Lanka, who will then go into the World Test Championship final if they defeat New Zealand, in New Zealand, by 2-0.
What if Sri Lanka fail to win both Tests vs New Zealand?
Sri Lanka don’t have any room for error in the WTC final scenario. If they don’t win both the Tests, then they don’t stand a chance to qualify for the WTC final, irrespective of the result in Ahmedabad.
In a nutshell, Sri Lanka only qualify for the World Test Championship final is India don’t win in Ahmedabad and then they win 2-0 in New Zealand. If India win in Ahmedabad, then they straightaway book their place in the WTC final with Australia.
On Day 1 of the Ahmedabad Test, a century from Usman Khawaja has put Australia in a commanding position on a good batting pitch. The day ended at 255/4 with Khawaja on 104* (251) and Cameron Green on 49*(64). R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each while Shami picked up two wickets.
