World Test Championship: India tightens grip on top spot

Indian players celebrate after their win over Bangladesh in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

A dominant India tightened their grip on the top spot in the World Test Championship table with a 280-run victory over Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka saw off New Zealand in Galle to help their move towards a potential spot in the final at Lord’s next year.

The two results have led to shifts in the race for the two final spots, with Sri Lanka leapfrogging their current opponents into third spot.

India’s win in Chennai and the 12 WTC points reasserts their status at the top of the table, moving to a percentage of 71.67%, extending their lead on Australia in second (62.50%).

Bangladesh, who had jumped to the fourth position following an exceptional 2-0 win against Pakistan, drop to sixth place place (point percentage of 39.29%) behind Sri Lanka and England after the defeat.

Bangladesh started the fourth day at 158/4 in pursuit of India’s 515, with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan at the crease. The duo resisted briefly, though India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja wiped claimed the remaining six wickets for just 40 runs.

Ashwin won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant hundred in the first innings and six-for in the second innings.

Sri Lanka players celebrate a wicket on day 5 of the first Test against New Zealand in Galle on September 23, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

Moving to third on the WTC25 table after victory in Galle, Sri Lanka stand the best chance of challenging the 2023 World Test Championship finalists for a spot in the 2025 final.

The 63-run victory over the Black Caps in Galle was their fourth in eight matches, moving them an even 50% of possible World Test Championship points, with a best possible percentage of 69.23% for Dhananjaya de Silva’s men.

That figure would likely be enough for a chance of lifting the mace in next year’s finale at Lord’s, though the side would need to beat New Zealand once more, claim a clean sweep of South Africa, and beat Australia 2-0 at home in a series early next year.

The Indians still have nine Tests remaining in this WTC cycle to decide their fate and make it to their third consecutive final of the tournament. They had ended as the runners-up in the previous two editions — to New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023).