India moved up to second place in the ICC World Test Championship points table last week, bringing it one step closer to the WTC final.
There are three players who could prevent India from reaching the WTC final. After all of the matches in the first round are over, the two teams in the World Test Championship standings will advance to the final.
India finished first in the previous cycle and faced New Zealand, which finished second, in the final. However, in the inaugural World Test Championship’s summit match, they failed to win.
Despite this, the team led by Rohit Sharma stands a good chance of winning the trophy the following year. India is ranked second in the points table, as previously stated. India should qualify for the WTC final based on the current situation, but they still have five games to play.
To secure a spot in the WTC final, India must win at least four, if not all five, of their remaining games. With Bangladesh, one of the five games will begin tomorrow. The remaining four games will be played at home against Australia in the early part of 2023.
India may not finish in the top two spots on the ICC World Test Championship points table if they lose two or more of their remaining games. India’s chances of making the WTC final are slim, but these three players could prevent them from participating in the summit match.
#1 Nathan Lyon
For the first time since 2017, Australia will play a Test series in India. No team has defeated India in a home Test series in the past five years. Last year, England won the first Test match against India, but they lost 3-1.
England made the mistake of using fast bowlers on surfaces that were good for a spin. Australia will want to avoid making the same mistake again. Nathan Lyon, their top spinner, has the potential to trouble the hosts by taking advantage of the conditions in Ahmedabad and Nagpur.
#2 Steve Smith
Steve Smith has an outstanding record against India in Test matches. In Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches, he always brings his A-game. Smith will be familiar with the conditions because he has played a lot of cricket in India.
Seeing his previous record against India, one can say that he could end up being the most hazardous Australian player in the impending series.
#3 Marnus Labuschagne
In his brief Test career thus far, Marnus Labuschagne has achieved a great deal of success. He recently matched Virat Kohli’s rating in the ICC Test Rankings. Labuschagne, on the other hand, has never taken part in a Test match in India.
When he travels to India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his current high level of performance. He could prevent India from reaching the WTC final if he scores a lot of runs in the four Tests.