New Delhi: Australia beat Team India by 10 wickets in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 8, Sunday. The hosts levelled the five-match series at 1-1 with a dominant performance. The Aussies were under huge pressure after losing the first Test in Perth but made a great comeback in the second Test with a sensational performance.
The Men in Blue opted to bat first after winning the toss but the decision backfired quickly as Mitchell Starc provided Australia a perfect start by removing Jaiswal LBW on the first ball of the match. He took a six-wicket haul as Rohit and Co. bundled out for 180 runs in the first innings. McSweeney and Labuschagne played brilliantly in the twilight session and ensured Australia were just one wicket down at the stumps. Travis Head amassed 140 runs off 141 balls with the help of four maximums and 17 boundaries. Labuschagne and McSweeney also made crucial contributions with the bat.
Head’s sensational knock helped Australia gain an important lead of 157 runs. Australian pacers bowled well in the twilight period with the new ball and troubled the Indian batters with tight lines and lengths. They sealed the match for Australia by taking five wickets at the stumps on Day 2. Mitchell Starc removed Rishabh Pant in the first over of Day 3 and then Cummins took a five-wicket haul. Boland dismissed Siraj to wrap India’s second innings. Nitish Reddy amassed 42 runs but couldn’t enough support from the other end. Australia needed just 19 runs to win the Adelaide Test and McSweeney and Khawaja finished the job in 3.2 overs.
Australia lead the WTC points table, India slip to third
After losing the second Test, India slipped to the third position on the World Test Championship (WTC) table and Australia reclaimed the No.1 spot in the table while South Africa remained in second position.
Pos
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Drawn
NR
Points
PCT
1
Australia
14
9
4
1
0
102
60.71
2
South Africa
9
5
3
1
0
64
59.26
3
India
16
9
6
1
0
110
57.29
4
Sri Lanka
10
5
5
0
0
60
50
5
England
21
11
9
1
0
114
45.24
6
New Zealand
13
6
7
0
0
69
44.23
7
Pakistan
10
4
6
0
0
40
33.33
8
Bangladesh
12
4
8
0
0
45
31.25
9
West Indies
11
2
7
2
0
32
24.24
How can India qualify for WTC Final?
To qualify for the 2025 WTC final without depending on other results, Team India need to win all the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Men in Blue can only afford a maximum of one draw and win two games to finish on a PCT of 60.52.
If India beat Australia 3-2: Rohit and Co. will finish with 134 points and a percentage of 58.77. Australia still have two test matches to play against Sri Lanka and they can finish at best with 126 points and a 55.26 PCT. South African team could extend their percentage up to 69.44 with three wins in their remaining home matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
If India beat Australia 3-1: The Men in Blue will finish with 138 points and a percentage of 60.52. The Aussies will only be able to finish with a percentage of 57 if they win their remaining games in Sri Lanka.
If India draw Australia 2-2: Team India will finish with 126 points and a percentage of 57.01. Australia, in such case, can move ahead to 130 points by the end of the series and eliminate India out of the WTC final race.
Australia is back to the No.1 spot in the updated standings of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle following the emphatic win over India in the second Test match. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
