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As the cricket world turns its gaze to the World Test Championship (WTC) final scheduled for June 2025 at Lord’s, the recent Boxing Day test has significantly altered the qualifying landscape. AustraliaThe emphatic 184-run victory over India not only did it give them a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 but it also increased their chances of reaching the WTC final for the second time in a row. With both teams now vying for a place, the question arises: What happens if India and Australia finish with identical points?
A crucial final test for India
India’s hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy depend on their performance in the next Test in Sydney, scheduled from January 3-7, 2025. India currently occupies 114 points in the WTC standings and needs a win to elevate your total to 126. points out of a total of 228 possible. This would result in a points percentage (PCT) of 55.26%, crucial for their qualification hopes. However, a draw or a loss would eliminate them from contention entirely.
Also READ: Team India’s full schedule till IPL 2025: England series, Champions Trophy and more
Australia’s path to victory
Australia, on the other hand, currently has 118 points and can get a maximum of 154 points if they win all their remaining matches. Even if they lose to India in Sydney, their fate will still depend on the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. If Australia loses to India and Sri Lanka wins 2-0 or 1-0, India could overtake Australia in the standings.
The identical points scenario
The scenario in which both teams finish with identical points (126 each) is plausible. This would happen if India wins in Sydney while Sri Lanka draws its series against Australia. In this case, both teams would finish with a PCT of 55.26%. WTC rules stipulate that if teams have equal points, the team with the most series wins advances. Both teams would have three series wins each, which would require more tiebreakers.
Decisive factor of the tiebreaker
In case of tied points and series wins, the next decisive factor is the percentage of points obtained in away games. India’s away record includes two Tests in the West Indies (1 win, 1 draw), two in South Africa (1 win, 1 loss) and five in Australia (2 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw), giving them a total of 56 out of 108 possible points (51.85% win rate). By contrast, Australia’s away performance includes five Tests in England (2 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw), two Tests in New Zealand (2 wins) and two tests in Sri Lanka (2 draws), giving them a total of 60 out of 108 points (55.56% win rate).
With so much at stake, cricket fans eagerly await the conclusion of this exciting series and the subsequent matches involving Sri Lanka and Australia; it is clear that each game will have monumental importance for both India and Australia.
Also READ: ICC reveals nominees for Cricketer of the Year 2024 award, snubs Rohit Sharma
