India qualifies for World Test Championship final, to take on Australia at Oval

India has qualified for the World Test Championship after New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in an instant classic.

“India have qualified for the World Test Championship final! They’ll take on Australia at The Oval for the #WTC23 mace!,” tweeted the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday. In order to qualify for the WTC final, India only had two options. India either needed to defeat Australia by a margin of 3-1 or invest their hopes in New Zealand.

On the final day of the fourth Border Gavaskar Trophy Test match, India is just a few steps away from a draw. Against all odds, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in dramatic fashion. When rain intervened on Day 5 to alter the course of the game, the Kiwis remained optimistic about their chances of chasing down a total of 285.

When the time came, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell stepped up to keep New Zealand in the game. Their collaboration was the turning point of the entire series, as well as for India. The game was wide open after Mitchell’s dismissal. Sri Lanka continued to pick up wickets on a regular basis.

However, Williamson made certain that New Zealand maintained a consistent run rate.
Tensions began to rise throughout the stadium. Asitha Fernando held the ball to bowl the game’s final ball. The difference between the two teams was one ball and one run. Fernando delivered a powerful bouncer that completely missed Williamson’s bat. Neil Wagner gave everything he had to finish the race.

Williamson played his part and finished the run before the ball hit the stumps. The epic battle concluded, and India qualified for the WTC final.

Now, even if Sri Lanka manages to win the next Test, they will only go up to 52.78 points. That will still be behind India’s 56.94 if India goes on to lose the Ahmedabad Test. If they draw the game it looks most likely that India will finish on 58.80. Australia has already qualified: even if they lose in Ahmedabad, they will end with a percentage of 64.91.