WTC Points Table Update: After a disappointing loss in Adelaide, India slipped from the first to the third position in the World Test Championship (WTC) Points Table. However, the situation became worse when South Africa made a significant move in the standings by defeating Sri Lanka in the second Test of their series in Gqeberha.
Sri Lanka had hoped to make a strong impact on the WTC standings but was defeated by South Africa in both Test matches. The first loss in Durban was a crushing 233-run defeat, followed by a thrilling contest in Gqeberha. South Africa bowled out Sri Lanka for 358 runs, taking a slender 30-run lead in the first innings. Despite a spirited effort from Sri Lanka’s middle order, which saw Dhananjaya de Silva and Kushal Mendis stabilize the chase, South Africa’s spinner Keshav Maharaj turned the tide. Maharaj’s magical spell helped South Africa dismiss five Lankan wickets for just 33 runs, sealing a 109-run victory and shaking up the WTC Points Table.
South Africa on 🔝
The Proteas displace Australia at the summit of the #WTC25 standings after #SAvSL series sweep 👊
Latest state of play 👉 https://t.co/1TUUJ5ThVs pic.twitter.com/bXizReyaAu
— ICC (@ICC) December 9, 2024
South Africa Takes the Lead
South Africa’s 109-run victory over Sri Lanka has propelled them to the top of the World Test Championship Points Table, earning them 12 crucial points. With this win, they have surpassed Australia, who had briefly moved to the top after India’s defeat. South Africa now has a total of 76 points from 10 matches, with a win percentage of 63.33%, the highest among all teams. Though India (with 110 points) has more total points, their win percentage (57.29%) is lower than that of South Africa and Australia (60.71%).
India Faces Growing Pressure in WTC Race
Within the last few days, Rohit Sharma and company have slipped from the first to the third position. But now the new worry for them is that South Africa has taken the first position by pushing Australia to the second position. From here, South Africa has to play two more test matches. Overall, the current picture has decided the competition for the second position between Australia and India. One win each in the remaining three matches of Team India and Australia will mean a lot to both teams because now the competition to become the two best teams in the final is not between two but between three teams.