Team India was the second team to reach the World Test Championship final after beating England 3-1 in a Test series at home. New Zealand had already reached the final by then as Australia withdrew from travelling to South Africa for a Test series over COVID-19 concerns. In the course of playing the WTC, India played against West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and England and Bangladesh. Meanwhile, in the latest ICC rankings, India are at the top followed by New Zealand. In this article, we track down their road to World Test Championship final.
Team India’s Road To World Test Championship Final
India Beat West Indies 2-1 To Start Their World Test Championship Campaign
India whitewashed the Windies 2-0 in a Test series played in the Caribbean back in 2019. India won the first match by 318 runs and the 2nd match by 257 runs. Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma showed a brilliant bowling performance with 13 and 11 wickets respectively. Mohammed Shami also scalped 9 wickets. Hanuma Vihari also impressed with his maiden Test century in the 2nd game. Vihari was awarded the Player of The Series for his 289 runs in two matches, which consisted of 1 hundred and 2 fifties.
Team India Beat South Africa 3-0 At Home
After West Indies, Team India hosted South Africa for a three-match Test series at home and whitewashed them as well. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal got runs in the series. Rohit Sharma emerged as India’s first-choice opener after that series given consistency in run-scoring.
India won the first match by 203 runs. Mayank Agarwal smashed a double hundred (215) in the first match while Rohit Sharma smashed two centuries (176 and 127) in the two innings. In the 2nd Test, South Africa lost by an innings and 137 runs after India posted a gigantic 601-5 in the 1st innings. Mayank Agarwal hit 108 while Virat Kohli smashed a spectacular unbeaten 254 in the first innings.
In the third Test, Rohit Sharma scored his maiden Test ton and Ajinkya Rahane’s 115 helped them win the Test series 3-0.
India Beat Bangladesh In Pink-Ball Test
India’s played their maiden Pink-Ball Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The test match was a huge success with India winning it by a big margin.
India defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in the home series. India won the 1st Test by an innings and 130 runs. India bowled out Bangladesh for 150 and 213 and scored 493 runs in the 1st innings. Mayank Agarwal again bagged the limelight with his 243 run-knock.
The second test was about Indian pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. Ishant took 9 wickets in the match while Umesh bagged 8 wickets. Ishant Sharma was adjudged player of the series for picking 12 wickets.
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New Zealand Beat India 2-0
The whitewash against a strong New Zealand team was India’s first loss in their World Test Championship campaign. This loss hurt India’s chances in a big way to their chances of qualification with net run rate playing a crucial role along with total points.
New Zealand beat India by 10 wickets in the first Test. New Zealand bowled out India for 165 and 191 in both innings. The Kiwi batters then scored 348 runs in the first innings to put India under pressure. Tim Southee was awarded player of the match for 9 wickets in the match.
In the second test, Kyle Jamieson took five wickets as New Zealand dismissed India twice (242, 124) and chased down 132to win the game in a canter. Kyle Jamieson was adjudged player of the match for his 5-wicket haul while Tim Southee was awarded player of the series for scalping 14 wickets.
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India Beat Australia 2-1 Down Under
India had to better Australia to better their chances of qualification for the WTC final. The ICC also made changes to the rules which as now the qualification of the teams depended on percentage points. Despite that India overhauled every obstacle to win the series 2-1.
India lost the first Test under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in Adelaide. They were bowled out for 36 in the second innings, their lowest ever Test score.
However, they came back roaring winning games in Melbourne and The Gabba to win the series 2-1. In the process, India became the first team to beat Australia at The Gabba in over 30 years. India discovered some new heroes on the trip as well.
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India Whitewash England 3-1 At Home To Seal World Test Championship Final Berth
Team India then outplayed England at home as they won the Test series 3-1. Here again, they lost the first Test and won the next three to script a fantastic comeback.
India lost the first Test in Chennai and won their next three as their spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel tormented the English batsmen who had no answer to their guile. Ashwin picked 32 wickets while Axar bagged 27.