The atmosphere around the Australian cricket team has changed in a dramatic fashion in the matter of just over two days of Test cricket. Not only did they bounce back in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy in style but have also sealed a spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship as well.
ICC World Test Championship Points Table
In the current cycle of the championship, Australia will finish at the top of the standings now having won 11 of their 18 Tests in the period (2021-23). The win has helped them collect 68.52 of their possible WTC points which has ensured a top spot no matter the result of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad.
How Can India Qualify For WTC Final?
A win in the fourth and final Test will be enough for Rohit Sharma’s team to book a date with Australia. However, should they lose then it will become a little tricky.
Sri Lanka are also in the race for the final spot and they next face New Zealand in a two-match Test series. Sri Lanka will qualify if they win 2-0 and India draw or lose the Ahmedabad Test.
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If Sri Lanka win 1-0, India will qualify no matter if they win/draw/lose the fourth Test. If the SL-NZ series ends in a 1-1 draw, India will still qualify.
NZ are out of the final race.
Australia Make it 2-1
Having lost the first two Tests inside three days in India, Australia were on the brink of losing yet another series when they arrived in Indore for the third match few days back. And losing toss on a pitch which was going to progressively become worse for batting was jut another step in that direction.
But Matthew Kuhnemann produced a memorable show with a maiden five-wicket haul in just his second Test to bowl out India for a mere 109 before a solid half-century from Usman Khawaja handed them an 88-run lead in the first innings despite a horrible batting collapse on the second morning.
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It was then the time for the seasoned Nathan Lyon to step up and step he did. The accurate offie finished with an eight-wicket haul including the prized scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara on 59 again limit India to 163 with Australia needing 76 runs to win and three days of play still left.
The third morning began in dramatic fashion when Ravichandran Ashwin removed Khawaja with the second delivery. But they recovered from that blow with Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne leading a quick chase for a memorable nine-wicket win.
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