Can India play Pakistan in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25? The prospect of India playing Pakistan always excites fans, especially given the fact that these two nations have not played bilateral cricket for quite some years now. India and Pakistan meet only in International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events, and the excitement levels will skyrocket if the Asian giants square off against each other in the longest format of the game. The race for making it to the WTC 2023-25 final is well and truly on and every team would look to ensure that they make the most of every match played in order to finish in the top two spots. ICC World Test Championship 2023–25 Points Table Updated: England Move Past South Africa After Series Win Over West Indies, India on Top.
India and Pakistan have competed against each other in limited-overs formats but fans would be very keen on watching these two teams take on each other in Test cricket as well. The last Test match played between India and Pakistan was way back in the year 2007. India, for the record, has qualified for both the WTC finals held so far but, unfortunately, has not been able to win the title even once. A loss to New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final was followed by a defeat to Australia in the latest WTC summit clash, held in 2023. Rohit Sharma and his men would be keen on going all the way this time around if India end up qualifying for the WTC final for a third consecutive time. India vs Bangladesh 2024 Full Schedule, Free PDF Download Online: Get IND vs BAN Test and T20I Series Fixtures, Time Table With Match Timings in IST and Venue Details.
Is There Possibility of India vs Pakistan WTC 2023-25 Final At Lord’s?
Well, there is a very high possibility of an India vs Pakistan clash taking place in the WTC 2023-25 final. India are currently top of the WTC 2023-25 standings with a Point Percentage (PCT) of 68.51, while Pakistan is sixth, with a PCT of 36.66. Needless to say, both these teams need to finish inside the top two for this clash to take place in the WTC final. In the WTC 2023-25 cycle, India won the Test series against West Indies and England while playing out a draw against South Africa. Rohit Sharma and his men have upcoming Test assignments against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia, with every match crucial for them to finish inside the top two. Out of these, the Test series against Australia, which comprises five matches, would be really interesting to watch, with the two teams meeting in the longest format for the first time since the WTC 2021-23 final. On Which Channel India vs Bangladesh 2024 Series Will be Telecast Live in India? How To Watch IND vs BAN Tests and T20I Matches Free Live Streaming Online?.
If India win even five of their remaining 10 Test matches, they can still qualify for the WTC final, for the third consecutive time. Pakistan on the other hand, have to take on Bangladesh, England, South Africa and West Indies in the current WTC cycle. Shan Masood and his men started the WTC 2023-25 on a positive note, beating Sri Lanka, but it was followed by a defeat to Australia, which severely dented their chances. For Pakistan to qualify for the WTC final, they would need to win as many matches as possible from now on. Placed sixth, Pakistan need to improve their PCT big time, which is currently 36.66 with nine matches remaining in the current WTC cycle. If Pakistan win more than six matches in these remaining nine, their PCT would certainly improve but they would also need other results to go their way to make it to the top two.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 11, 2024 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).