Hyderabad: India's hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final were significantly reduced after an 184-run defeat to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday. The loss dropped India's points percentage (PCT) from 55.89 to 52.77, leaving them in third place with their seventh defeat of the ongoing WTC cycle.
Meanwhile, Australia strengthened their chances with their 10th cycle win, raising their PCT from 58.89 to 61.45. With South Africa already confirming their ticket to next year’s WTC final at Lord’s following their victory over Pakistan in the first Test, Australia now have a great opportunity to eliminate India from contention by either drawing or winning the final Test in Sydney, which begins on January 3.
Currently, in second place in the standings, Australia can join South Africa in the 2025 one-off Test decider with a win in any of their remaining three Tests this cycle.
India's WTC Final Qualification Scenario
India's chances of reaching the WTC final are still alive but uncertain. To secure a spot in the final, they must win the Test in Sydney to level the Border-Gavaskar series. Additionally, they will need to rely on Australia not winning any matches in the upcoming series in Sri Lanka, scheduled for next month.
The defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has made the upcoming Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) a must-win match for India to keep their WTC hopes alive. Even if India triumphs in Sydney, they will require Australia to stumble during their tour of Sri Lanka, ideally hoping for a 1-0 or 2-0 series win for the hosts. If both Tests in Sri Lanka end in draws, Australia will secure their place in the final. The highest winning percentage India can achieve, even with a victory at the SCG, is 55.26%, which means their fate remains somewhat out of their hands.
