Team India’s hopes of making it to the final of ICC WTC Final took a huge hit after the defeat they suffered at the hands of England at Edgbaston.
Having already suffered a series loss at the hands of South Africa earlier this year, India have suffered yet another defeat in Tests that could pretty much derail their WTC campaign. England thrashed the visitors by 7 wickets after putting up a stunning all round show in the second innings.
India were well on top after the first three days of the Test. After scoring 416 runs in their first innings, the Jasprit Bumrah-led side bowled out the hosts for just 284. In the second innings, India were comfortably placed at 125 for 3 at the end of day three before England crawled their way back into the game.
On day 4, the Ben Stokes-led side took the remaining 7 Indian wickets for just 120 runs before chasing down the 378-run target with utmost ease. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root scored unbeaten centuries to take England home on the final day of the Test.
Following the defeat, India have dropped to the fifth spot in the WTC points table while England are languishing at the seventh spot after the Edgbaston Test. While England are more than unlikely to make it to the final, India still have a slim chance.
So as the battle for the WTC final spots heats up, we take a look at the teams which are in contention and what they need to do to qualify:
WTC points table:
At present, Australia are at the top of the WTC points table with a points percentage of 77.78. Australia are followed by South Africa, Pakistan, India and West Indies in the top five.
| Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | NR | Points | PCT |
| 1 | Australia | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 84 | 77.78 |
| 2 | South Africa | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 71.43 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 52.38 |
| 4 | India | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 75 | 52.08 |
| 5 | West Indies | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 50 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 47.62 |
| 7 | England | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 33.33 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 25.93 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 13.3 |
At present only four teams – Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and India – have a realistic chance of making it to the final of the WTC while West Indies have an outside chance.
So here’s how all these teams can make it to the WTC final:
India:
While Team India’s road to the final is very tough, they are still in contention. India have two more series left in the ongoing WTC campaign -a two-Test away series against Bangladesh and a four-match home series against Australia.
If India go on to win all their remaining six games, they will end up with a point percentage of 68.06. In such a case, they are likely to make it to the final. However, one more loss or a lesser points tally could very well end their campaign.
Australia:
Australia are in a very strong spot to make it to the final. The Pat Cummins-led side have 10 matches remaining which include the second game of the ongoing away series to Sri Lanka, back-to-back home series against West Indies (two matches) and South Africa (three matches) and the series against India.
For India to go ahead of Australia, they need to win all of their six games and need Australia to lose at least four games and draw one.
South Africa:
South Africa also have a good chance of making it to the WTC final. The Proteas have three more series left – a three-match series in England and Australia and a two-Test series at home against West Indies. For India to go ahead of the Proteas, they need to win all of their remaining six games and need South Africa to lost at least three games or draw five games.
Pakistan:
Currently ahead of India, Pakistan have a favourable run in the remainder of their WTC campaign. They will host England and New Zealand in addition to traveling to Sri Lanka.
If Pakistan manage to win six of their seven remaining games, they will finish above India irrespective of the latter’s results. India need Pakistan to at least lose and draw one game each.