India Boost Third Straight WTC Final Hopes After Blowing Away Bangladesh In 2nd Test

Rohit Sharma-led Indian men’s cricket team beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the second Test to win the two-match series 2-0. In the rain-hit match played at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, India chased down the target of 95 runs in 17.2 overs on the fifth and final day to secure a big win.

The win on Tuesday (October 1) helped India strengthen its position at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table. They have 74.24 PCT% now. Defending champion Australia is in 2nd place with 62.50 PCT%, and the two finalists of the 2023 WTC are followed by Sri Lanka (55.56 PCT%), England (42.19 PCT%), South Africa (38.89 PCT%), and New Zealand (37.50 PCT%).

After losing two back-to-back Tests against India, Bangladesh has now dropped to seventh position with 34.38 PCT%.

Updated WTC 2023-25 points table after India-Bangladesh 2nd Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored fifties in both innings of the Kanpur Test for India, which the Rohit Sharma-led side won despite the two full days of play being washed out due to rain.

India dismissed Bangladesh for 146 runs in the second innings and then chased down the target of 95 runs for the loss of three wickets in 17.2 overs.

After whitewashing Bangladesh, the Indian team will now face New Zealand in a three-match Test series, which is set to start on October 16 in Bengaluru. The second and third Tests between India and New Zealand will be played in Pune and Mumbai, respectively, and after that, India will travel to Australia for a five-match Test series.

The 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start on November 22 in Perth, and the next four matches are scheduled to take place in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.

If India manages to win at least four of the remaining eight matches and avoid any penalty, then they will be guaranteed to finish in the top-two and qualify for the third straight World Test Championship (WTC) final.

India suffered an embarrassing defeat by 209 runs against Australia in the final of the 2023 WTC, which was played at the Oval, and in the 2021 WTC final, New Zealand defeated the Virat Kohli-led side by 8 wickets in Southampton.