Ashish Ranjan
WTC Final: On March 13, the week-long suspense came to an end. India qualified for the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive year prior to the conclusion of their final Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia in Ahmedabad. India advanced to the final after Sri Lanka, who was also in contention for the championship match, lost the first of their two-Test series in New Zealand on Monday in a nail-biting conclusion.
From June 7 to 11, India will face Australia in the WTC final at the Oval in London. Australia qualified for the final after defeating India in the third Test in Indore earlier this month. India had to avoid losing more than one Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and pray that New Zealand did not lose their home Test series 2-0.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test Day 5 Highlights
As it turned out, India’s participation in the London final was secured even before they took the field on Day 5 of the Ahmedabad Test, as Sri Lanka lost the opening Test to New Zealand on the final day of play.
India have qualified for the World Test Championship final!
They'll take on Australia at The Oval for the #WTC23 mace!
More: https://t.co/75Ojgct97X pic.twitter.com/ghOOL4oVZB
— ICC (@ICC) March 13, 2023
India qualified for the WTC final in 2021 under the leadership of Virat Kohli, but lost to New Zealand in the championship match. Notably, this will be India’s second major ICC tournament in 2023, as the ODI World Cup will be contested at home in October and November.
After Australia reached the final, only India and Sri Lanka remained in contention for the WTC final in the second week of March, but the islanders’ valiant effort in the Christchurch Test was insufficient to keep their prospects alive.Indian spectators were genuinely interested in the Sri Lanka-New Zealand first Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where the islanders put up a valiant fight in the series opener.
Sri Lanka posted 355 runs in their first innings, but Daryl Mitchell’s astonishing century helped New Zealand take an 18-run lead after the first innings. Sri Lanka were in trouble when they lost four wickets early, but senior batsman Angelo Matthews helped them set a formidable target of 285.
The first Test in Christchurch was set up for a thrilling finish, while the second Test in Ahmedabad, which was contested on a flat surface, was headed towards a draw despite India’s response of 571 runs to Australia’s first innings total of 480.
Also Read | India’s moment at the Oscars: ‘Naatu Naatu’ wins Best Original Song award
The loss of New Zealand’s opener Devon Conway early on Day 4 and Sri Lanka’s dismissal of Tom Latham early on Monday put the Kiwis in a precarious position. However, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell held for 142 runs.
