India vs Australia: WTC keys, How many wins does India need?

India and Australia: The Battle for the World Test Cricket Championship

The series between Australia and India is a major sporting event, but with the final of the World Test Cricket Championship on the horizon, the importance of these matches intensifies for both teams. New Zealand’s recent victory over the West Indies places them in third place in the championship standings. If they achieve similar results against Pakistan, both Australia and India will need to strive to maintain their position.

India’s Path to Classification

India has played four series, accumulating 360 points with a points percentage of 75%. India has two series remaining in the current cycle, against Australia and England. Both are four-match series, which means the points allocation is the same: 30 points for a win and 10 for a draw. If New Zealand gets all the points from their series against Pakistan, their total will rise to 420, with a points percentage of 70%. This means that India needs to exceed 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 in two ways: by winning five matches or by winning four and drawing three.

Considering India’s impressive home record, they will have a good chance of getting all the points against England. This means they will need at least one win or three draws in the four matches against Australia to reach 150 points.

For example, if India loses against Australia by a margin of 1-2, they will need 110 points from the series against England. Since a win awards 30 points and a draw 10, the only way to reach 110 is by winning all four matches.

Australia’s Position

Australia has played three series, accumulating 296 points with a points percentage of 82.22%. Australia needs to surpass 420 points to have 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. Given that the series against South Africa is expected to be three tests, there will be 40 points available per victory and 13 per draw. Despite numerous injury concerns, Australia remains in a solid position, thanks to accumulated points. If the series against India ends 2-2, Australia will be at 356 points, with a percentage of 74.17%. From there, even a 1-0 series against South Africa will propel them to 422 points, surpassing New Zealand’s reach. If they lose 1-2 against India, Australia will need a 2-0 victory against South Africa to stay above 70%.