India's road to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, a presumed smooth sailing before the drubbing handed to them by New Zealand, has been made more daunting with Australia ahead on the road. India has an unimaginably tough task at hand if it is to make it to the finals of the WTC.
India faced a 25-run defeat to New Zealand in the third Test, resulting in a humiliating series scoreline of 0-3. This marks only the second occasion India has been clean-swept at home, the previous instance occurring in 2000 against South Africa when they lost the series 2-0. Notably, this is the first time India has been whitewashed in a home series comprising three or more matches.
Chasing a target of 146 runs, which appeared manageable on paper, India found themselves in a challenging situation given the playing conditions. Despite the relatively small target, the Indian batting lineup failed to deliver, with only Rishabh Pant (64) making a notable contribution. The rest of the batting order struggled significantly, leading to India being bowled out for just 121 runs, largely due to an impressive performance by New Zealand's Ajaz Patel, who took six wickets.
This defeat has severely impacted India's prospects of reaching the WTC final, as their percentage of points (PCT) has dropped to 58.33, causing them to slip to second place in the WTC standings.
Following this defeat, India's pathway to the WTC final has become exceedingly difficult. The team had aimed for a clean sweep against New Zealand, which would have allowed them to approach the upcoming tour of Australia with a record of one win and two draws. However, New Zealand's superior performance has now placed India on the brink of elimination from the WTC final race.
To have any chance of qualifying for the WTC final, India must achieve a victory over Australia by a margin of at least 4-0. This task is daunting given India's current vulnerabilities in form.
Conversely, New Zealand's victory has revitalized their chances of making it to the WTC final. With their ascent to fourth place in the WTC table, they are set to face England in a three-match series at home, where a positive result could open the door for their surprising entry into the final.
