The Indian cricket team has once again climbed to the top of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table with a massive 295-run win over Australia in the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. With this win, India now has 61.11 percentage points, while Australia has dropped to the second spot with 57.59 percentage points. However, despite these numbers, no team has a clear view of the final at Lord’s, as any of the top five teams can still end up in the top two spots and put their bid in for the WTC mace.
WTC 2023-25 points table
World Test Championship (2023-2025) - Points Table
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Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | NR | Points | PCT |
1 | India | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 110 | 61.11 |
2 | Australia | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 57.69 |
3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
4 | New Zealand | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 54.55 |
5 | South Africa | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 54.17 |
6 | England | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 40.79 |
7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 33.33 |
8 | Bangladesh | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 27.5 |
9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 18.52 |
Updated after Australia vs India 1st Test match (Concluded on November 25, 2024) |
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WTC qualification scenario
India (61.11 percentage points)
Matches left: 4 Tests vs Australia (Away)
India needed to win the five-match series against Australia by 4-0, meaning with their win on Monday, they now need to win three of the remaining four Tests in Australia, while also securing at least a draw in one if they wish to directly qualify for the final. If they succeed in doing so, they will end their WTC cycle with more than 65 percentage points and will guarantee their top-two finish. If they lose one Test in the ongoing series, they will need South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand to lose at least one of their remaining games to qualify for the finals. They will be eliminated if they lose the series to Australia.
The second Test of the India vs Australia series will be played in Adelaide from December 6.
India's upcoming schedule in WTC 2023-25 cycle
India upcoming Test schedule - Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
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Date and Day | Against and match | Venue | Time |
Dec 06, Fri - Dec 10, Tue | Australia vs India, 2nd Test | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Match starts at Dec 06, 9:30 AM IST/02:30 PM LOCAL |
Dec 14, Sat - Dec 18, Wed | Australia vs India, 3rd Test | The Gabba, Brisbane | Match starts at Dec 14, 5:50 AM IST/10:20 AM LOCAL |
Dec 26, Thu - Dec 30, Mon | Australia vs India, 4th Test | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | Match starts at Dec 26, 5:00 AM IST/10:30 AM LOCAL |
Jan 03, Fri - Jan 07, Tue | Australia vs India, 5th Test | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Match starts at Jan 03, |
Australia (57.59 percentage points)
Series left: 4 Tests vs India (Home); 2 Tests vs Sri Lanka (Away)
Australia, who are in second spot in the WTC points table, need to win at least five of their remaining six games after their loss in Perth. If the defending champions win the remaining four games against India, they will have the luxury of drawing the two-match series against Sri Lanka 1-1. If they win the series against India 3-2, they will need to beat Sri Lanka 2-0. However, if they lose the series even by a 2-3 margin to India, even a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka will not guarantee their place in the final. They will then have to wait for other teams' results to confirm their fate.
Sri Lanka (55.56 percentage points)
Series left: 2 Tests vs South Africa (Away); 2 Tests vs Australia (Home)
Sri Lanka has been on a winning streak, securing three consecutive victories over England and New Zealand, which has propelled them up the Test Championship rankings. With four matches remaining, they are in a strong position to push for the top spot. A perfect run in these remaining games could see Sri Lanka achieve 69.2 per cent points, a challenging target for others to surpass, but this would require India to sweep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 5-0 to overtake them. If Sri Lanka wins three of their final four matches, they can still reach 61 per cent points, keeping their hopes alive for a potential championship win.
New Zealand (54.55 percentage points)
Series left: 3 Tests vs England (Home)
New Zealand, the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) title holders, made a remarkable comeback in the race for the WTC 2023-25 final after a historic 3-0 clean sweep in India. Despite having three Test matches remaining in their schedule, they can still miss out on qualification. With a maximum achievable percentage (PCT) of 64.3%, New Zealand's qualification depends on the outcomes of other teams, particularly South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and Australia.
For New Zealand to secure their spot in the WTC final, a 1-1 draw in the South Africa vs Sri Lanka series would prevent either team from surpassing their PCT. In this case, only one of India or Australia could potentially pass them, leaving New Zealand a chance to qualify. However, if New Zealand fails to maximise points against England, their PCT could drop below 60 per cent, and they would need multiple other results to fall in their favour.
South Africa (54.17 percentage points)
Series left: 2 Tests vs Sri Lanka (Home); 2 Tests vs Pakistan (Home)
South Africa emerged as a strong contender for a spot in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final after their dominant 2-0 series win over Bangladesh. With this victory, the Proteas now find themselves in a position where winning their remaining four home matches would secure their place in the final. If South Africa wins all their remaining games, they would achieve a Points Percentage (PCT) of 69.4 per cent, putting them in a commanding position. However, this PCT could only be surpassed by Australia, making the remaining matches crucial for the Proteas.
WTC 2023-25 upcoming schedule
World Test Championship 2023-25 full schedule - upcoming
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Date | Day | Teams | Venue | Local Time | IST Time |
November 22–26, 2024 | Friday–Tuesday | West Indies vs Bangladesh | North Sound, Antigua | 10:00 AM AST | 7:30 PM IST |
November 27–December 1, 2024 | Wednesday–Sunday | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Durban, South Africa | 10:00 AM SAST | 1:30 PM IST |
November 28–December 2, 2024 | Thursday–Monday | New Zealand vs England | Christchurch, New Zealand | 11:00 AM NZDT | 3:30 AM IST |
November 30–December 4, 2024 | Saturday–Wednesday | West Indies vs Bangladesh | Kingston, Jamaica | 10:00 AM EST | 8:30 PM IST |
December 5–9, 2024 | Thursday–Monday | South Africa vs Sri Lanka | Gqeberha, South Africa | 10:00 AM SAST | 1:30 PM IST |
December 6–10, 2024 | Friday–Tuesday | Australia vs India | Adelaide, Australia | 2:30 PM ACDT | 9:00 AM IST |
December 6–10, 2024 | Friday–Tuesday | New Zealand vs England | Wellington, New Zealand | 11:00 AM NZDT | 3:30 AM IST |
December 14–18, 2024 | Saturday–Wednesday | New Zealand vs England | Hamilton, New Zealand | 11:00 AM NZDT | 3:30 AM IST |
December 14–18, 2024 | Saturday–Wednesday | Australia vs India | Brisbane, Australia | 10:00 AM AEST | 5:30 AM IST |
December 26–30, 2024 | Thursday–Monday | Australia vs India | Melbourne, Australia | 10:30 AM AEDT | 5:00 AM IST |
December 26–30, 2024 | Thursday–Monday | South Africa vs Pakistan | Centurion, South Africa | 10:00 AM SAST | 1:30 PM IST |
January 3–7, 2025 | Friday–Tuesday | Australia vs India | Sydney, Australia | 10:30 AM AEDT | 5:00 AM IST |
January 3–7, 2025 | Friday–Tuesday | South Africa vs Pakistan | Cape Town, South Africa | 10:00 AM SAST | 1:30 PM IST |
January 16–20, 2025 | Thursday–Monday | Pakistan vs West Indies | Karachi, Pakistan | 10:00 AM PKT | 10:30 AM IST |
January 24–28, 2025 | Friday–Tuesday | Pakistan vs West Indies | Multan, Pakistan | 10:00 AM PKT | 10:30 AM IST |
January 29-Feb 2, 2025 | Wednesday-Sunday | Sri Lanka vs Australia | Galle, Sri Lanka | 10:00 | 10:00 |
February 6-10, 2025 | Thursday-Monday | Sri Lanka vs Australia | Galle, Sri Lanka | 10:00 | 10:00 |
June 11-15, 2025 | Wednesday-Sunday | TBA vs TBA | Lord's, London | 11:00 | 15:30 |