India consolidate No. 1 spot in WTC table after Bazball-ing England, but will NZ vs AUS 2nd Test impact them?
India had already risen to the top spot in the WTC points before the start of the match after Australia defeated New Zealand in the first Test of their series
Team India thrashed or rather Bazballed England on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test match at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala to win by an innings and 64 runs and claim the series 4-1. With the win, India consolidated their position at the top of the World Test Championship points table, but do face a major threat from New Zealand and Australia, who are presently playing the second and final Test match of their series.
After James Anderson and Shoaib Bashir cleaned up India's final two wickets at the start of the third morning, England got to another stuttering start, losing three wickets inside the first 10 overs with Ravichandran Ashwin inflicting the damage single-handedly. Kuldeep Yadav then joined in the act before Ashwin, playing his 100th Test match, snared two more, while Jasprit Bumrah rattled the lower order to fold England for just 195 runs.
India had already risen to the top spot in the WTC points before the start of the match after Australia defeated New Zealand in the first Test of their series. With the won on Saturday, India strengthened their hold over their position with a PCT of 68.15 from six wins in nine matches so far.
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India, two-time finalist, remain unbeaten in the ongoing WTC cycle. They won their away series in West Indies and held South Africa to a 1-1 draw, before winning against England at home.
Will New Zealand vs Australia 2nd Test impact India?
New Zealand currently stand second in the table with a PCT of 60, after winning three of their five games, while Australia stand third with a PCT of 59.09 after claiming seven wins in 11 matches.
If New Zealand manage to level the series with a win in the ongoing second Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, they will have a PCT of 66.67, implying that they will remain in the second position. If Australia manage to whitewash the hosts, their PCT will be 62 only, which means that they could only rise to the second spot.
New Zealand currently lead by 40 runs in the second innings for the loss of two wickets on Day 2 of the Test match.