Ind Vs Eng: What This Loss Means For India’s Chances At The World Test Championship Final In June, What Is The Changed Scenario?

India lost to England by a huge margin of 227 runs and has taken the visitors on top of the WTC table. How has the scenario changed after this loss and what needs to be done for India to qualify?

(File Photo/Getty Images)

India faced a humiliating loss against England in the first Test match at Chennai. Kohli’s men lost to England by a considerable margin of 227 runs. A lot of reasons are being stated for India’s loss. Team selection, dismal batting performance and at times, also poor captaincy. But now the match is over and India must be looking ahead in the series to improve their performance. But this series holds a very important position considering the WTC standings. Before the match, India was on top, but now India has slipped back to the fourth position while England is on top.

One simple logic for the reader- India cannot qualify if they lose yet another Test match in the series. They have to win minimum two of the remaining three matches without losing one. Drawing the series is no option for India (and England) as Australia would go through if the series is drawn.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A huge win over India in the first Test has propelled England to the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WTC21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#WTC21</a> <a href="https://t.co/8AaC8XMrjr" rel='nofollow'>pic.twitter.com/8AaC8XMrjr</a></p>&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1359052396752633862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>February 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With the series positioned at 1-0 and three matches still to go, India can bounce back in the upcoming matches. The World Test Championship’s final would be played on 18 June 2021. As per the WTC rules, all the matches that are to be played before the day of the final would be counted to rank the teams. With Covid-19 affecting the schedule of Test matches, ICC decided to rank the teams based on the PCT. New Zealand have qualified as their PCT is 70% and stand second on the list just ahead of Australia’s 69.2%. With Australia withdrawing from the SA series, the series between India and England becomes the direct shootout to the final of the WTC, a virtual semi-final.

All Possible Scenarios:

India win series (3-1 or 2-1) – India Qualify to play the final against NZ

England win series (3-0, 3-1 or 4-0) – England Qualify to play the final against NZ

England win series (2-0, 2-1) – Australia Qualify based on higher PCT to play the final against NZ

Series Drawn (1-1 or 2-2) - Australia Qualify based on higher PCT to play the final against NZ