Steve Smith-led Australia gave India a taste of their own medicine on a dust bowl of an Indore pitch in the third Test with a resounding nine-wicket victory. Australia wrapped up the Test to become the first team to qualify for World Test Championship (WTC) final which is scheduled to be played from June 7-11 at the Oval Cricket Ground, London.
However, Australia’s first win of the series have affected India’s chances of meeting Australia in the final. The demoralising loss has made the Ahmedabad Test a must-win game for Rohit Sharma's India to ensure they don't have to depend on outcome of New Zealand vs Sri Lanka two-Test series which is scheduled to start on March 4.
Australia have qualified for the WTC final with 68.52 win percentage. They have won 11 out of 18 Tests during the cycle. India's win percentage dipped to 60.29 after Indore loss. They have won 10 out of 17 Tests. Also, they have faced a five-point penalty due to slow over rate.
If India win in the Ahmedabad Test which is scheduled to start from March 9, they will qualify for the final. If Australia managed to draw the four-Test series, India’s win percentage will drop to 56.94.
How Sri Lanka can qualify
If Sri Lanka manage to clean-sweep Tim Southee-led New Zealand, their win percentage will rise to 61.11 and they will qualify for WTC final. If Sri Lanka win just one Test or lose both Tests, India will be through to the final.
Captain speaks
“We haven't thought about it yet (WCT final), we have sometime to think about what we need to do there (Ahmedabad Test). We need to regroup and try and understand what we did right in the first 2 games. We need to understand, no matter what the pitches are, you gotta come out and do the job. We need to keep it simple and follow the plan. When you are playing on challenging pitches, we need to be brave,” skipper Sharma said after India's crushing loss.
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