Credits: BCCI/X
India’s qualifying scenario for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final has taken another turn after the third Test at The Gabba ended in a draw in Brisbane on Wednesday, December 18. Notably, the race for the elite competition is heating up as South Africa, Australia, India and Sri Lanka are competing intensely for the top two spots. India’s journey to the final two looked smooth, but things took a u-turn when the side registered a 0-3 loss against New Zealand and a defeat in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
India’s chances of making it to the final would have taken a big hit if they had failed to win the ongoing Gabba Test against Australia. However, the Gabba Test was called off and Australia (445 and 89/7d) drew with India (260 and 8/0), which is going to benefit the visitors in context of both the BGT and the WTC Final. A team gets 12 points on winning a match, 4 four a draw, 6 for a tie and no points for a loss. Since the game has been drawn, both India and Australia will share four points each.
How can India qualify for WTC Final after the Gabba Test ended in a draw?
India earlier occupied the third spot in the WTC standings with a PCT of 57.29. South Africa, on the other hand, South Africa are currently on the top spot with a PCT of 63.33, which is followed by Australia, who have a PCT of 60.71. After the Gabba Test ended in a draw, India’s PCT went down to 55.88, while Australia’s PCT remained intact. The fourth position on the standings is currently occupied by Sri Lanka with PCT 45.45.
For India to qualify for the WTC Final, they need to win the BGT Trophy 2024-25 by a margin of 3-1. They need to win both the remaining Tests, in Melbourne and Sydney after the Brisbane Test ended in a draw. If Rohit Sharma and Co. manage to win the remaining two Tests, their PCT would stand at 60.52, which would be enough for them to seal a WTC Final spot.
