This narrow-Fourth innings in Melbourne, where it saw the Australians crow up with over 184 runs in India test, has given the rest of the most Pat Cummins-led Australians even better chances of making it to the final of the World Test Championship 2025. According to ICC, the side now only needs one more Test win away from making this happen next year at Lord’s. On the other hand, India, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, still manages to stay outside in this competition. The chances are still alive for those from Sri Lanka, but all they need is a string of lucky results to keep those hopes alive.
Earlier at Centurion’s Boxing Day Test, he saw Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen’s phenomenal 10th wicket partnership drive the Proteas to an incredible win by two runs in the first test against Pakistan and thus secured their berth in the final next June.
The South Africans became the first team to book their name in the World Test Championship Final after a nail biting last-over victory in the opening test match against Pakistan at Centurion.
It was a match that had all the drama associated with a 148-run chase in the fourth innings, but Rabada and Jansen once again stood tall – just as they did in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against Afghanistan – to see this thriller.
The two teams are to clash next in Cape Town in the second test match scheduled to start on Friday, January 3, making it merely a formality contest for the home side.
Australia did face a huge setback after losing to India in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Test series, but Pat cummins and his men made a remarkable comeback as they went on to win all of the rest three Tests, winning in Adelaide and Melbourne.
With a victory in Melbourne, Australia is now in very strong contention to finish in the top two. They now need just a win from their three upcoming encounters to ensure an appearance at Lord’s next year
India started the 2024/25 season on a very high note, winning 2-0 at home, sealing a confident win against Bangladesh.
What followed was an unscripted show. The team became a victim of history by losing to New Zealand on home soil and then trooped off to an asking tour of Australia.
Under stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, the Men in Blue rekindled their hopes for a third straight appearance in the WTC Final, with a win in the opening Test in Perth. However, the side has since gone on to lose two games in Australia, and their WTC chances have taken a significant hit.
To make it to the final, India needs to win the final Test of their series against Australia and hope that there is a positive result (or a 0-0 result) for Sri Lanka when Pat Cummins’ side tours the island nation early next year.
A historic sweep of a series in India had fired up New Zealand’s hopes of achieving a possible second World Test Championship title, but their hopes took a severe dent with a defeat at the hands of Ben Stokes’ England in the first Test at Christchurch.
New Zealand’s hopes have suffered further blows after they have been deducted three points for a slow over-rate in the first Test. So they find themselves at fifth position in the standings after having earlier shared fourth place with Sri Lanka.
Things have become a little worse for the Black Caps after the second Test match against the Wellington team, where they suffered a 323-run defeat to drop to the sixth position in the standings after England overtook them.
Two losses made their chances off qualifying for the final. Never mind that, though; in the last Test, they did manage to win by 423 runs. They now find themselves on the current WTC25 standings list as fourth.
