India's hopes of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 final took a dent after their 10-wicket loss to Australia in the Adelaide Test on December 8. With this crushing defeat, India dropped to third position in the WTC standings.
India drop to third in WTC 2023-2025 points table
With a reduced points percentage of 57.29, India's path to the WTC final has become more challenging. They now face the daunting task of winning at least two of the remaining three Tests to improve their chances. The recent 0-3 Test series whitewash against New Zealand further compounded India's difficulties, making their qualification bid even more uphill.
India will need to regroup and perform exceptionally well in the upcoming Tests to stay in contention for a spot in the WTC final. Australia's victory in the second Test against India has boosted their position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. With their ninth win, Australia has increased their Percentage Points (PCT) to 60.71, securing the top spot in the WTC standings.
South Africa, currently in second place with a PCT of 59.26, has an opportunity to overtake Australia. If South Africa wins the second Test against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha, they could potentially claim the top position in the WTC standings.
To secure a direct qualification to the WTC 2025 final, India must avoid any further losses in the remaining three Tests of the series. Moreover, India can only afford a maximum of one draw and must win two matches to reach a PCT of 60.52.
India need to win all three remaining Tests to ensure their best prospect for WTC final. This would elevate their PCT to 64.05, a target that would be difficult for Australia to surpass. However, notching a 3-2 series win against the defending WTC champions would be a challenging task.
How can India make it to WTC 2023-2025 final?
If India manage to secure a 3-2 series win against Australia, they will accumulate 134 points, resulting in a PCT of 58.77. With only two Tests remaining in their schedule, Australia's maximum achievable points total would be 126, with a PCT of 55.26. Meanwhile, South Africa could potentially reach a PCT of 69.44 by winning their remaining home matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
A 3-1 series win for India would yield 138 points and a PCT of 60.52. In this scenario, Australia's maximum PCT would be limited to 57, effectively eliminating them from the WTC final race.
A 2-2 draw between India and Australia would result in India finishing with 126 points and a PCT of 57.01. Australia, on the other hand, could potentially reach 130 points by the end of their series, surpassing India and potentially knocking them out of the WTC final contention.
A look at updated WTC 2023-2025 points table:
| Pos. | Team | Mat. | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT |
| 1 | Australia | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 102 | 60.71 |
| 2 | South Africa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 64 | 59.26 |
| 3 | India | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 110 | 57.29 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 60 | 50.00 |
| 5 | England | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 114 | 45.24 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 69 | 44.23 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 24.24 |