Melbourne, Dec 30 (NationPress) After enduring a 184-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India stays in third place, while Australia continues to hold onto second place in the World Test Championship standings.
India's point percentage (PCT) has, however, decreased from 55.88 to 52.78 following their loss in the fourth Test, whereas Australia’s PCT increased from 58.89 to 61.46 as they move closer to a second consecutive appearance in the WTC final after an exhilarating victory on Monday.
The Australians can secure their spot in the final alongside South Africa, who have already booked their place after winning the first of two Tests against Pakistan by two wickets on Sunday, with a win in any of their remaining three Tests this cycle.
Australia is set to tour Sri Lanka next year for two additional Tests, meaning if they can manage a 2-2 draw with India, they will remain in contention for a spot in the final.
Nonetheless, India still has a chance to qualify for the World Test Championship final, but they must clinch victory in the final Test of the series against Australia in Sydney to level the Border-Gavaskar series, coupled with hoping the Australians do not win any Test during their series in Sri Lanka starting next month.
The Boxing Day Test reached a thrilling conclusion as Australia secured a 184-run victory over India in the closing moments of the final day. The last Indian wicket fell with under 14 overs left in the day, as Nathan Lyon dismissed Mohammed Siraj, sending the MCG crowd of over 74,000 into a frenzy, marking the end of an epic showdown between the two rival nations.
With this win at the MCG, Australia now leads the series 2-1 against India in the five-match Border-Gavaskar series and can reclaim the trophy by avoiding defeat in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, starting January 3.
