How can India qualify for the finals of WTC following Australia's 2-0 win over South Africa
Here's how India can qualify for the finals of WTC after AUS's win over SA
After Australia’s 2-0 series win over South Africa on Sunday in Sydney, they have more or less ensured their chances of playing the WTC final in June this year. Given India is placed second on the WTC points tableand will be facing the Aussies at home in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series, they could also seal the deal to qualify for the final without depending on results of others. Since only three series are left in the current WTC cycle – India vs Australia, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka and South Africa vs West Indies, all three of India, Australia and Sri Lanka have a chance to end up in the top two.
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Here's how ranked-number 1 Australia can qualify for the WTC finals –
Sitting in the top spot with a PCT of 75.56%, Australia has one leg in the finals. The only scenario in which they will fail to play the summit clash is if they lose to India 0-4 and Sri Lanka win their two matches in New Zealand. If Australia surrender in the Border-Gavaskar series, their PCT will drop down to 59.65 while Sri Lanka’s 2-0 win in New Zealand will take their PCT to 61.11.
In a case where Australia manages to play a draw against India, losing the series 0-3, and don’t concede any penalty points, their PCT would still be 61.40%, which would be marginally enough for them to qualify for the finals. They just have to ensure they are not conceding any penalty points, else they would be relying on other team’s results for their qualification.
Here's how India can qualify for the finals of WTC –
India is currently placed second on the WTC points table with a PCT of 58.93 and if they beat Australia 3-1 or better, they will qualify for the finals regardless of the results from other series. Beating Australia 4-0 will take their PCT to 68.06%, in a 3-1-win scenario it will be 62.5% while if the series is drawn 2-2, India’s PCT will be 56.94%.
So in a case where India and Australia play a 2-2 draw, and Sri Lanka manages to beat New Zealand 2-0, India will be out of top two – meaning Australia and Sri Lanka could be the WTC finalists.
While the Border-Gavaskar series will begin on February 9th in Nagpur, New Zealand and Sri Lanka will commence their Test series on March 9th in Christchurch.
