By defeating the England cricket team in the 2nd Test at Chennai team India earned 30 points and jumped to the 2nd position in the World Test Championship table. Team India is now behind the Kiwis who already have a confirmed spot for the World Test Championship final that is to be played at Lord’s in June.

Thanks to the win on Tuesday, India has strengthened its chances of making it through to the final of the ICC WTC. The Kohli-led young Indian side had earlier dropped to the fourth position in the points table after England defeated them at Chennai in the first Test. But India bounced back in style and thanks to the 30 points it earned today, its total points are 460 with a PCT of 69.7%. England is in the fourth position with 442 points in their kit and a close 67% PCT. Just to remind our readers, the PCT is the percentage of points a team wins out of the total number of points contested.

This is what the ICC World Test Championship points table looks like after 2nd Test

ICC World Test Championship Final Scenarios after Ind VS Eng 2nd Test

With India defeating England, the final leg of the WTC qualification race has all the more intensified. At this point, all the top 3 contenders other than New Zealand are still very much in contention to the WTC finals. Let’s look at what each team has to do to book its spot for the WTC final.

How can India make it to the WTC final?

India will be extremely eager and optimistic about its chances of making it through to the championship final. For the team to qualify, it would have to win the Test series against England by 2-1 margin or 3-1 margin. To put it simply, India needs to make sure that team England does not register another Test win from this point in the remaining two matches. Or, win at least one Test from the two Tests that remain.

How can England make it to the WTC final?

England showed that they too are very much in the WTC race by defeating India in its first Test. However, for Joe Root’s men, the situation is quite challenging. To make it through to the final, England needs to win compulsorily both the remaining matches and take the series home 3-1. A draw or a loss will crush their chances of playing the WTC final at their own home ground, Lord’s.

How can Australia make it to the WTC final?

Even though Team Australia cancelled its South African tour and does not have any more matches to play, it still has a good chance of making it to Lord’s and play the WTC final. If England defeats India and wins the series by a 2-1 margin, or if the 4 Test series is drawn 1-1 or 2-2, it would be neither England nor India who will be playing the Kiwis. The Aussies will sneakily make its way to Lord’s and clash with New Zealand in the final.

Ind VS England Test 2 Highlights

A lot was at stake during the second Test in the 4 Test England VS India series: a berth in the WTC championship, an opportunity to level the series (or increase the winning margin by 2-0, if you’re England), and a battle of who can prove their mettle on the Chepauk pitch.

The hosts played an all-round cricket on most sessions during the Test and dug out a clean 317-run victory on Day 4 of the 2nd Test. With the win, India levelled the 4-Test series 1-1 and will head to Ahmedabad for the last 2 remaining Tests.

Earlier on Tuesday, India needed 7 wickets to prove that it can bounce off after a bad match after it lost to England by a massive 227-run margin. The visitors had an uphill battle to fight as it had to score on a spinner-friendly wicket to chase down 429 runs with only 7 wickets in hand.

Daniel Lawrence was the victim of a brilliant reaction time by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and was the first one to depart from the England side. Ben Stokes came in the middle and tried resisting the Ashwin effect but eventually gave away his wicket on 8 runs.

After the local boy’s surgical strikes on the pitch, it was debutant Axar Patel who ensured that no partnership bloomed between the English batsmen. The left-arm-spinner removed Ollie Pope who was playing on 12 runs. Later, Patel removed dangerous Joe Root who was the only hope England had for the match.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav was handed the bowl by Kohli and Yadav became the third bowler in the Indian spin attack trinity. Yadav dismissed young wicket-keeper batsmen Ben Foakes. Yadav must have breathed a sigh of relief as it was his first wicket in Test format since January 2019.

With the inevitable end now in sight, Moeen Ali decided to audition for the upcoming IPL 2021 auction by blasting 3 consecutive sixes off Axar Patel. In a Test match where batsmen had a lot to say about the surface, tailender Moeen Ali played at a strike rate that was above 200 and made 43 runs off just 18 bowls. His attempts to entertain the Chepauk crowd came to an end when Kuldeep Yadav dismissed him and bundled the England team for 164 runs.

Team India would be looking to level up the ante and register a 2-1 lead in the series by winning the upcoming Test against the visitors. The two teams will fly to Ahmedabad to play the 3rd Test on February 24.