South Africa’s Victory Over Sri Lanka in 1st Test Puts Pressure on India and Australia’s Path to WTC Final

With this dominant 233-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test of the series, South Africa has significantly boosted their prospects of securing a spot in the inaugural World Test Championship final. The team has now climbed to the second position in the WTC standings, boasting an impressive points percentage of 59.25. This win has put them in a prime position to make history and qualify for the final for the first time.

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transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage

South Africa will next play Pakistan at home in a two-Test series and if the Proteas are to win their remaining three Tests, they would be in a comfortable position to make it to the final.

As a result of this loss, Sri Lanka has now slipped to the fifth spot from the third position.

Coming back to India's chances of making it to the WTC final, Rohit Sharma and Co cannot afford any more slip-ups. The side needs to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a 4-0 or 5-0 margin to make it to the WTC final without depending on other results.

India's current PCT currently stands at 61.11 and they are at the top spot in the standings. Australia's PCT fell down below 60 after the side faced a 295-run loss against India in the Perth Test.

If India fails to win 4-0, then Rohit Sharma and co would have to depend on other results going their way, in order to make the WTC final.

Australia's fate also hangs in the balance

Before India's three-Test series defeat to New Zealand, pundits believed that it would be a repeat of the 2023 WTC final between India and Australia. However, as of now, it is unlikely that this eventually happen.

If India is to win 4-0 or 5-0, Australia can pretty well say goodbye to the WTC final. Pat Cummins and co need to stage a turnaround in the series if they have to make it to the final which be played in June 2025 at the home of cricket, Lord's.

As a result of Proteas' win against Sri Lanka, Australia has now slipped to the third position in the WTC standings.

After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia will also be playing a two-Test series against Sri Lanka next year.

New Zealand's chances of making it to the WTC final also seem grim despite beating India 3-0. The Kiwis are staring down the barrel in the first Test against England and a defeat might just knock them out of the race.

Updated WTC standings

India (PCT 61.11)

South Africa (PCT 59.25)

Australia (PCT 57.69)

New Zealand (PCT 54.55)

Sri Lanka (PCT 50.00)

England (PCT 40.79)

Pakistan (PCT 33.33)

West Indies (PCT 26.67)

Bangladesh (PCT 25.00)

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