Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes India's current situation in the World Test Championship (WTC) final race is a direct reflection of their recent performances, especially the 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand at home.
"It's a mess of our own making," Chopra said on his YouTube channel. He highlighted India’s three successive defeats against New Zealand in Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, and also mentioned a rain-affected draw against the West Indies.
"A West Indies match still comes to mind, where we were troubled because of rain, and there was no result. The headache is only because we lost 0-3 to New Zealand. If we had taken 100 percent points there, we would have been sitting at ease today. That is the biggest problem," he said.
India's 10-wicket defeat in the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval has further complicated their WTC final qualification scenarios.
This result, coupled with South Africa's win against Sri Lanka, saw India slumping to third spot in the WTC standings.
Chopra outlined the scenarios for India to secure a place in the WTC final, emphasizing the importance of the remaining three Tests against Australia.
"The first thing is very simple. India have three matches left, and if you win all three remaining matches, you don't need to worry at all. It means you will win this series 4-1 and won't need to depend on anyone else. Your qualification will be confirmed in the first week of January," he stated.
"Interestingly enough, if you win only two matches and one match gets drawn, which means you win the BGT 3-1 and not 4-1, 3-1 will still make India qualify because you get points for a draw. India will directly qualify and won't be dependent on anyone else," he remarked.
Aakash Chopra mentioned that South Africa are likely to qualify if they win their upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan. This would leave India and Australia competing for the remaining spot in the final.
Chopra further said if India win the series 3-2, they would need Sri Lanka to draw at least one Test against Australia. This would prevent the Pat Cummins-led side from surpassing India in the points table.
"If you win two matches, say Melbourne and Sydney, but lose in Gabba, which means you win the series 3-2, Sri Lanka will have to draw at least one of the two Test matches against Australia. If that happens, India will qualify. Then Australia cannot cross India's points," he explained.
In case of a 2-2 drawn series against Australia, India would need Sri Lanka to win their series against Australia either 1-0 or 2-0.
"If we end at 2-2, you will need a little more help. India will then need Sri Lanka to win the series, whether they win 1-0 or 2-0. Then India will have 55.3 percent points but Australia won't be able to go ahead of us. We are out if we lose the series," Chopra said.
