ICC World Test Championship – India’s WTC finals dream in danger: India moved to second place on the ICC Test Championship table with 460 points after a comprehensive 317-run win over visitors at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
India are behind New Zealand who have 420 points but a better percentage point (70%) to take the top spot. India have 69.7 percentage points.
If India win the ongoing Test series against England by 2-1 or 3-1, they will take on New Zealand in the WTC final to be played at the Lord’s in England in June 2021.
But if England come back in the series and win it by 3-1 margin, they can still go top of the table and play New Zealand at home. England are currently in the fourth position with 442 points and 67 percentage points.
However, India are in danger of losing the position if the Chennai pitch is rated poor. With heavy assistance for spinners from Day 1, there have been calls to rate the pitch poor. With England scoring 134 and 164 in first and second innings, respectively in the second Test, the pitch could come under the scanner.
As per International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, “A poor pitch is one that does not even allow an even contest between bat and ball, either by favouring batters too much, and not giving the bowlers (seam and spin) from either side sufficient opportunity to take wickets, or by favouring the bowlers too much (seam or spin), and not giving the batters from either team the opportunity to make runs.”
In the Chennai Test with heavy assistance, spinners ruled, scalping a total of 32 wickets out of possible 40. India’s spinners bagged 17 wickets in two innings combined. As for England, their spinners scalped 15 wickets in two innings. Furthermore, as per the ICC rules, spin has a special mention. “The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match,” the rule states. Hence, the pitch could be rated poor and India could be docked three points.