India and Australia: The Battle for the World Test Cricket Championship
The series between Australia and India is a major event, but with the final of the World Test Cricket Championship in June, the importance rises for both teams. New Zealand’s victory against the West Indies positions them in third place in the championship table.
If New Zealand repeats its success against Pakistan, both Australia and India will have to work hard to stay above them in the table.
The India Panorama
India has played 4 series, accumulating 360 points with a percentage of 75%. They have two series left in the current cycle, against Australia and England, both of four tests. This implies the same point allocation: 30 for a win and 10 for a draw.
If New Zealand gets all the points against Pakistan, their total will rise to 420, with a percentage of 70%. India needs to surpass that 70% to stay ahead of New Zealand.
To achieve this, India needs at least 150 points out of the 240 available in these two series. This can be achieved by winning five matches or winning four and drawing three.ESPNcricinfo LtdGiven India’s strong home record, they will have a good chance of getting full points against England. This means they will need at least one win or three draws in the four matches in Australia to reach 150 points.
If India loses to Australia by a margin of 1-2, they will need 110 points from the series against England. The only way to reach 110 points, considering that a win grants 30 points and a draw 10, is to win all four matches.
The Situation in Australia
Australia has played 3 series, scoring 296 points with a percentage of 82.22%. They need to exceed 420 points to reach a percentage above 70%, if the series against South Africa takes place. If that series is canceled, their goal will be to exceed 336 points.
Since the series against South Africa will be three tests, there will be 40 points available for a win and 13 for a draw.ESPNcricinfo LtdDespite injury concerns, Australia remains in a strong position thanks to accumulated points. If the series against India ends 2-2, Australia will have 356 points and a percentage of 74.17%. From there, even a 1-0 series against South Africa will boost them to 422 points, surpassing New Zealand. If they lose 1-2 against India, Australia will need a 2-0 victory against South Africa to stay above 70%.
