India maintains second spot on the WTC table after Ranchi win
India beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi, and took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Chasing a target of 192 to win in the fourth innings, the Rohit Sharma-led side came into Day 4 at 40/0 but were precariously poised at 120/5 in the second session.
Shubman Gill (52* off 124) and Dhruv Jurel (39* off 77) bailed their team out of the tricky situation with their unbeaten 72-run stand and took them over the line. Following their win, India retained the second spot on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with five wins from eight matches with a points percentage of 64.58%.
On the other hand, England remained at eighth spot with three wins from nine games with a points percentage of 19.44. The inaugural champions of the WTC, New Zealand sit comfortably on the top spot with three wins from four matches having a points percentage of 75%.
Notably, India qualified for the finals of the first two editions of the WTC but failed to lift the trophy losing to New Zealand and Australia in the summit clashes respectively. The Rohit Sharma-led side will be eager to qualify for the finals for the third consecutive time and end their final jinx.
India to face Bangladesh and New Zealand in next home series
The two-time runner-ups will look to win the final Test against England as well and make a strong case for their ascent to the top of the points table. After the England series, India will have two home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. They will end their ongoing cycle with a much-awaited five-match away series against Australia in November 2024.
Meanwhile, both India and England will have a nine-day gap between the fourth and fifth Test which will begin from Thursday, March 07 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. England will look to end the series on a high with a win to bring the scoreline to 2-3 while India will go ruthless to make it 4-1.
