How South Africa’s Series Win Against Australia Affects India’s WTC Final Hopes? Explained

South Africa’s 2-1 series victory over Australia has reshaped the World Test Championship (WTC) standings. The result has made India’s route to the final more difficult. The Proteas have now into second place, while Australia slipped to third. Meanwhile, New Zealand remain top, with India fourth on 51.52 percentage points (PCT).

South Africa completed the comeback with a 176-run win in the third Test at Newlands, which has one of the most beautiful cricket stadiums in the world. They had lost the opening match in Durban by 214 runs but won the final two Tests. Chasing 288 on the fifth day, Australia were bowled out for 111. Simon Harmer took six wickets for 16 runs, while Kagiso Rabada claimed three for 39.

Updated WTC Points Table After South Africa vs Australia Series

The Proteas' comeback in the SA vs AUS 3rd Test has changed the latest WTC points standings. The WTC final qualification scenario for some of the teams have been affected after this result. Here are the updated WTC rankings of all the teams:

India WTC Final Qualification Scenario After SA vs AUS Test Series

The result has created a tighter race among the top three teams. New Zealand, South Africa and Australia are all near or above 69% PCT. India, meanwhile, are more than 17 percentage points behind the leaders.

South Africa collected 24 points from their last two Tests against Australia. Their wins pushed Australia's PCT down from 75% to 69.23%. This gives India an opportunity in their upcoming five-Test home series against Australia. A strong result in that series could directly affect Australia's final standing.

India have seven matches remaining in the current cycle which will be played against some of the best cricket teams in the world. They are scheduled to play two Tests away against New Zealand, followed by five at home against Australia. Winning all seven would take India's PCT above 70%. Thus, India will have little room for dropping any further points if they wants to stay in contention.