At the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on December 30, Australia defeated India in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25. The last Test is set on January 3 in Sydney, and the hosts enjoy a 2-1 advantage in the five-match Test series.
Given that they rely on the outcomes of other teams, the defeat has seriously damaged India’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship 2025 final. They must now win the Sydney match to maintain their hopes of making it to the WTC and avoid losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in nearly a decade.
Australia is in second place with a points percentage of 61.45, while India is in third place with a percentage of 52.77.
However, South Africa has became the first side to qualify for the WTC finals in the current cycle after flawless performances against Sri Lanka and in the opening Test match against Pakistan.
Speaking of Sri Lanka, if they defeat a touring Australia team 2-0 in the upcoming months and the Sydney Test ends in a tie, they have a remote chance of qualifying for the WTC finals. They are currently in fifth place with a points percentage of 45.45.
World Test Championship 2023-25 Points Table
| No. | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Points | PCT |
| 1 | South Africa (Q) | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 88 | 66.67 |
| 2 | Australia | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 118 | 61.45 |
| 3 | India | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 114 | 52.77 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 81 | 48.21 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 60 | 45.45 |
| 6 | England | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 114 | 43.18 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 30.30 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 24.24 |
India
