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IND vs NZ: How Bengaluru rain hurts India in race to qualify for WTC 2025 final | Cricket news

IND vs NZ: How Bengaluru rain hurts India in race to qualify for WTC 2025 final
Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal walk onto the field during rain on Day 1 of the first Test between India and New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. PTI

As persistent rain washed out the opening session of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru on Wednesday, it did so with the hosts’ ambition to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final is affected.
While India and New Zealand stayed indoors, the teams had lunch without a ball being bowled and without the coin being flipped in drizzly conditions.
India, currently at the top of the WTC standings, is aiming for a third consecutive appearance in the finals of the competition. In the first edition, India lost to New Zealand and then to Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led side is all set to make their third straight entry but the rain in Bengaluru has affected their quest for a smooth booking.
Because the weather forecasts do not look favorable cricket In Bengaluru, a stop-start approach is in store for the first three days, and at the very least it doesn’t bode well for Team India.
India top the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings with 74.24 percentage points accumulated after 8 wins, 2 losses and a draw from 11 matches in this 2023-25 ​​cycle.
Australia (62.50 percentage points) and Sri Lanka (55.56 percentage points) are second and third respectively with the desire to play the WTC final themselves.
India enter the three-match series in New Zealand after a 2-0 win against Bangladesh. If India also clears New Zealand, they will be assured of a WTC final berth before the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia on November 22.
The World Test Championship final will be played at Lord’s in June next year.