India's chances of making the World Test Championship final receive a boost as England whitewash Pakistan

With the excitement around the upcoming WTC finale hitting the roof, India’s chances of making the cut for the clash are still open. India have a couple of important Test series coming up where they will be up against Bangladesh and Australia in a total of 6 Test matches which will be crucial in determining the fate of the Men in Blue in the WTC.

India received a major boost in their pursuit of a second consecutive final after Pakistan were whitewashed by England in their home in a 2-match Test series. England bagged an all-important 74 run-win in the first game while attaining a 26-run win in the second, thereby also dealing a major blow to Pakistan’s chances of making the cut for the final, a move which consequently boosted the Men in Blue’s probability of heading forth, even though it is still a long way from home.

As things stand, with Pakistan suffering a series defeat, India will have to whitewash Bangladesh in the two-match Test series that will allow them to make the cut for the grand finale even if they lose one match to Australia at home. Australia, on the contrary, is the best placed team at the moment to clinch a WTC final spot and in order to do so, a whitewash of the Caribbean followed by just a couple of wins against South Africa will do the trick for them.

India and New Zealand were a part of the first WTC finale hosted at Southampton in 2021 where the Men in Blue had a rare second-innings slump to allow the Kiwis to run away with the Mace.