ICC World Test Championship | India take 100-point lead after Visakhapatnam victory
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India further asserted their dominance in the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship after their victory at Vizag, going 100 points ahead of New Zealand who are at second. With 80 more points at stake in the series, India will now realistically be looking to cross the 200-point mark.
After their crushing 203-run win in Vizag, Team India have further stamped their authority as the best Test team in the world, taking a 100-point lead in the ICC World Test Championship Table. New Zealand and Sri Lanka are joint-second at 60 points each. The Virat Kohli-led Indian side will have a golden opportunity to potentially breach the 200-point mark at the end of the third Test, with 80 points still at stake in the series.
With New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Australia and England not scheduled to play a Test until next month, team India are guaranteed of retaining their spot at the top of the table for at least a month and a half, with the only potential threat to their top spot being Australia's two-match series against Pakistan late in November. If Australia beat Pakistan, they would accumulate 120 points, meaning they would then have 176 points in total.
But even a draw for India in one of the next two matches will take them to 180 points, a barrier that Australia mathematically won't be able to break till their three-match Test series against the Kiwis in December. The two-match Test series between New Zealand and England, starting next month, will not be a part of the Test Championship.
South Africa, on the other hand, are yet to open their account and will be looking to do so in the next two Tests. If they fail to open their account, they will need to wait till December to do so, when they will take on England in a four-Test series.
