India lost the second Test against New Zealand in Pune by 113 runs. With this loss, they lost the series by 2-0 with one game to go. This was India’s first Test series at home since 2012, hence the 12-year-long streak of remaining unbeaten at home was broken. Moreover, the consecutive losses have made their World Test Championship 2025 final hopes slightly thinner.
India have six more matches left in the cycle with one game against New Zealand and a five-match series, part of Border-Gavaskar Trophy, against Australia. India need to win at least four of the six games to see themselves in the WTC finals. Former India cricketer, Aakash Chopra has said that there is a “Herculean task” in front of India to make it to the ultimate showdown.
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“The pressing question is what is the WTC qualification scenario because India were on a mission of domination. We thought we would win all five (home Tests) and go ahead with 100 percent points. The scenario now is that you have to win four of the remaining six matches and draw one, and that is a Herculean task,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
“Believe it or not, I feel the upcoming BGT (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) is going to be very difficult. We have not lost for 10 years but winning this time will be extremely tough. So the qualification scenario is now looking a little dicey, especially when you see South Africa’s home matches. That is the big one,” the former India cricketer added.
On the other hand, South Africa, who beat Bangladesh in the first Test in Dhaka, have one more game against them and two games apiece against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. If the Proteas manage to win the remaining five of their games, they will see themselves in the WTC 2025 final. It is worth noting that, India and Australia occupy the first and second spot in the points table, respectively.
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