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England have moved to the top of ICC World Test Championship standings after registering a convincing 227-run win over India in the first Test of the 4-match series in Chennai. Joe Root’s side clearly dominated Team India throughout the whole match, much to the surprise of everyone. This was Virat Kohli’s fourth consecutive defeat in Test matches, having lost two against New Zealand and one against Australia last year. Skipper Virat Kohli accepted that England were far more professional and consistent throughout the Test match and added that he did not want to take anything away from Joe Root’s side for the way they played.
With the victory in Chennai, England have moved to the top of World Test Championship standings with a win percentage of 70.2. While New Zealand and Australia occupy second and third position with a win percentage of 70 and 69.2 respectively, India have been handed a huge blow as they have dropped down to fourth position with a win percentage of 68.3.
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Picture Credit: BCCI[/caption]
How can India still qualify for the WTC Finals?
While New Zealand have already secured their place in the World Test Championship Final after Australia’s tour of South Africa was postponed, the remarkable victory by England in Chennai has certainly spiced up the WTC even more as it has opened doors for a three-horse race involving India, Australia and England to qualify for the finals, which will be played at Lord’s later this year.
India will now have to win the series by either 2-1 or 3-1 to qualify for the finals while England needs to win at least 2 more matches in the series to go through the line. Meanwhile, Australia can also reach the WTC Finals if England wins the series by the margin of 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 or if the series ends in a draw. With everything so closely poised, England and India set up for their second Test, starting February 13.