At this stage of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, India with 300 points from six Tests and a one hundred percent record look like a team certain of making it to the final at Lord’s on June 10, 2021.
Virat Kohli’s men have performed with such steely determination that it seems nothing can stop them from finishing in the top two of the ICC World Test Championship standings and qualifying for a place in the final.
At the moment India are the only team who have won all their six matches played so far and are unbeaten. They will look to extend it to seven out of seven when they take on Bangladesh in the second Test starting at Kolkata on Friday under lights and with a pink ball. This is the first time that both countries are playing a Test match with the pink ball, but India’s seamers Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami have been so threatening as they showed in the first Test at Indore the colour of the ball will be of least concern for the trio. The pink ball is expected to swing under lights and it is how you control the swing that will determine the outcome of the match.
Bangladesh without their star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and experienced opener Tamim Iqbal looked woeful in their batting at Indore being dismissed for totals of 150 and 213, and their bowling in the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam was pretty ordinary as India piled on 493-6 declared to win by an innings in three days.
The way the points system is structured playing a two-Test series has its advantages because a win carries the maximum 60 points. India beat West Indies in the Caribbean 2-0 and then ruthlessly crushed South Africa at home 3-0 and look like doing the same with Bangladesh in the two-Test series which would give them 360 points and keep them sitting pretty at the top of the table allowing the rest of the teams to fight it out amongst themselves for the second spot.
India has a further 11 Tests to extend their lead at the top but the matches are not going to be easy ones. They travel to New Zealand for two Tests in February 2020, to Australia in November 2020 for four Tests and complete their fixtures in January 2021 by hosting England for a five-Test series. So even if India lose some ground in New Zealand and Australia they can still catch up in the final series against England which will be played on their home turf where they have proved to be virtually unbeatable - with an enviable record of 27 wins out of 33 Tests with 5 draws and 1 defeat.
“Right now we have a huge lead and that speaks volumes of how we have been consistently good as a team,” said India’s head coach Ravi Shastri.
Shastri further stated that he would have been happier if there were points for series wins, which is not the case. There are only points for Test match wins. But if a team has already won the series, the final Test match is not a dead rubber as there are points to grab.
On the other hand, Indian skipper Kohli suggested that he would have awarded more points for overseas wins in the ongoing competition.
Meanwhile Pakistan will be making their first appearance in the World Test Championship when they commence a two-Test series in Australia on Thursday. Pakistan will play back to back Test series for soon after that they travel home to host Sri Lanka for a further two Tests from December 11. This series will break new ground for Pakistan as it will be the first time in a decade that Test matches are going to be played on Pakistan soil. Strangely enough Sri Lanka were the victims of an attack on their team bus by gunmen in Lahore in 2009 that led to the isolation of international cricket in Pakistan and it is Sri Lanka that is breaking the ice to pave the way for Pakistan to host international cricket tours in the future.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka who drew their two-Test series one-all share second spot with 60 points each and will vie to retain their position when New Zealand at the same time commence a three-Test series in Australia from December 12. Australia too will be fancying their chances of closing the gap with India. A 3-0 win over New Zealand will bring them 120 points and increase their total points to 176 from 8 matches.
England who are currently on par with Australia with 56 points and fifth place will have to wait till Boxing Day to commence a four-Test series in South Africa.
Each team plays six series, with each series counting for 120 points. If two teams are tied on points, the team that won more series shall be ranked higher. If teams are still equal, then the team with the higher runs per wicket ratio shall be ranked higher.
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