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Anil Kumble, the former captain, believes that after losing a home series against New Zealand for the first time, India has made it harder for itself to get to the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the third time in a row. The New Zealanders took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Saturday, October 26, defeating India by 113 runs in the second Test in Pune.
In the last session of the third day of the Test match, India was bowled out for 245 after attempting to reach a goal of 359 runs on a challenging batting surface. The third Test, which will begin on November 1 in Mumbai, isn’t a dead rubber, either, according to Kumble, since India can gain significant points in the WTC rankings. But against a self-assured New Zealand team, the former cricket player claimed that it won’t be simple for Rohit Sharma‘s team to turn things around.
“I believe that’s what makes WTC so beautiful. Every Test match is equally significant, even though I am aware that India has won the series. They have made things more difficult for themselves. We discussed at the beginning of the series that you need five victories to have a strong lead going into the championship match. On JioCinema, Anil Kumble stated, “But now if you need those four wins in the next six matches, that becomes even tougher because the first is at the Wankhede Stadium against this very confident New Zealand side and the fifth is against Australia in Australia.”
In order to start scoring runs, the batting must unite: Despite losing the first two Test matches, Anil Kumble
India remains at the top of the WTC points standings. “The bowlers deserve a lot of credit for this, as they have demonstrated that they can take 20 wickets in Test matches,” Kumble said. But following the batters’ poor performance in the series, the cricketer-turned-expert felt they could turn things around.
“I am aware that India has performed admirably in their last two series played in Australia, but, once more, qualifying is much more difficult for them, but they must truly straighten up. The batting hasn’t been that good. Throughout, there will be difficulties with the bowling. Indian bowlers have been able to take those 20 wickets, which is why India is at the top. Kumble said, “The batting needs to unite and begin scoring those runs.”
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To ensure that they advance straight to the World Test Championship 2025 final, India must win at least four of their remaining six games. If India loses again, they will have to rely on other teams to go to the top match.
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