WTC Final: India secures WTC Finals Slot after NZ beats SL by 2 Wickets, IND vs AUS at The Ovals

India’s spot in the world test championship finals was secured as New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in a nail-biting match in Christchurch. IND vs AUS in the World Test Championship(WTC) finals at The Ovals in London.

India advanced to their 2nd straight World Test Championship final. India needed to win the series against Australia by a score of either 3-0 or 3-1, however, they were only able to win two games, dropping one and drawing the decisive game at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. Sri Lanka was also a contender for the WTC finals, thanks to New Zealand’s 2-wicket victory and India’s 2-1 series victory to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the 4th time in a row.

India set to play WTC Finals in June at The Ovals

Both teams had the opportunity to display their all-around strength during the Ahmedabad Test, which many would argue had the best Test pitch of the entire series. Previous to it, India had won in Nagpur and Delhi to take an early 2-0 lead, but they lost in Indore as Australia triumphed over the hosts after struggling in the first two Tests’ batting departments. However, in Ahmedabad, both teams were able to score runs, with India reaching 500+ because of huge first-inning performances from Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.

Nonetheless, there was a feeling that the game would conclude in a tie, leaving India to rely on other outcomes to guarantee their qualification. That was proven when Kane Williamson of New Zealand played one of the best innings to prevent Sri Lanka from having a chance to advance to the finals. Axar Patel might have put Steve Smith out for a duck on the final day if Australia had been well ahead. Australia entered the lunch break at 158 at the loss of two wickets, but KS Bharat failed to hold onto a significant deflection catch. The match continued for an additional 40 minutes after the players returned for the last game of the series before shaking hands to declare a tie.

Questions were raised after India’s disappointing performance in the Indore Test, but the hitters excelled in Ahmedabad under more favorable circumstances. Virat Kohli was in line for a double century after ending his three-year Test century drought, but the Australian bowling attack cut him off before he could reach it.