WTC 2023: India seal final berth after Sri Lanka’s dramatic defeat in Christchurch

Team India have sealed a place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in June after Sri Lanka suffered a shocking defeat on Day 5 of the Christchurch Test. The win meant that India have qualified for the WTC final as their Asian counterparts’ worse Win Percentage (PTC) will see them miss out even if India draw or lose the fourth Test match in Ahmedabad later in the day against Australia.

While India are still engaged on the final day of the Ahmedabad Test, it was New Zealand’s win in Christchurch that saw the 2021 WTC runners-up make the final yet again. Needing nine wickets to win on the final day, rain played spoilsport in Christchurch as the contest was heading to a draw. However, Kane Williamson’s flurry with the bat coupled with Daryl Mitchell’s stunning batting display in the final session saw New Zealand win the contest by two wickets.

The win eventually means that, no matter what the result is in Ahmedabad, the Indian team will make the WTC final. Sri Lanka needed to inflict a whitewash on New Zealand to make the final, but their failure has resulted in India making the final instead.

As things stand, even if Sri Lanka win the second Test against the Kiwis at Basin Reserve in Wellington next week, they will attend a maximum win PCT of 53. With India’s contest heading to a draw in Ahmedabad, they are likely to reach a winning PCT of 59, making it mathematically impossible for either Sri Lanka or South Africa to reach the WTC final.

The WTC final to be played on June 7 at the Oval will reignite the rivalry between India and Australia in an International Cricket Council (ICC) event. For the first time in 20 years in Men’s cricket, both India and Australia will play in a global final. The winner of the contest in June will also become the first team to complete a Grand Slam of ICC titles (men’s) with both teams previously recipients of the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy.