India stumbled to a 10-wicket loss at the hands of Australia in the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide to suffer a fresh jolt in its pursuit of qualifying for a third straight World Test Championship (WTC) final.
After the loss in the day-night Test, India dropped to third in the WTC table, below Australia and South Africa, with a PCT of 57.29.
Rohit Sharma’s team only has three more Tests in the current cycle to stake a claim for the final next year. The other major contenders South Africa and Australia have another series in the pipeline, against Pakistan (H) and Sri Lanka (A) respectively.
How can India still qualify for the WTC final?
If India wins each of the remaining Tests against Australia, its PCT will rise to 64.04. Australia will fall short of that mark even if it manages a 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka.
India can also finish above Australia with two wins and a draw., provided South Africa beats Sri Lanka in the second Test at Gqberha.
If India loses another Test this series, its PCT will drop below Australia and its qualification will hinge on results in the South Africa vs Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka vs Australia series going its way.