India's World Test Championship chances bleak after loss to England

England players celebrate their win over India at Chennai on Tuesday. Pic/BCCI

Team India's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final later this year has suffered a huge blow after the hosts slipped to fourth position. Virat Kohli & Co went down to England by massive 227 runs in the first Test of the four-match series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

India, Australia, and England are fighting for a place in the final to be held at Lord's in London from June 18 to 22.

The finalist for the inaugural WTC will be decided on percentage points instead of absolute points after several series were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The loss has also given some hope to Australia, who recently postponed their tour of South Africa.

India, who were at the top of the table with 71.7 percentage points from the five Test series played between 2019 to 2021 (prior to the opening Test against England) have dropped to fourth with 68.3 percentage points. While the victory has helped England move to the top of the table with 70.2 percentage points, Australia are third with 69.2 percentage points. New Zealand, who are currently ranked second in the WTC table with a points percentage of 70, became the first team to qualify for the final.

The defeat has given Kohli's men a big headache as they now have to win at least two Test matches against England, whereas another loss could shut all doors for the hosts. A drawn series could pave the way for Australia. All this means India have to win the series by a 2-1 or 3-1 margin.

Considering the way England have approached the Chennai Test, the pressure will now be on Team India. The task to secure two wins in the remaining three matches against a confident opposition attack seems quite difficult for the hosts.

On the other hand, England need to beat India 3-0, or 3-1 or 4-0 to qualify for the final.

The second Test will be held at the same venue from February 13, while the third and fourth Test will be played at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad from February 24 and March 4 respectively.