Rain in IND vs NZ 1st Test puts India's ICC WTC Final qualification in danger

India and New Zealand's 1st Test was all set to entertain cricket fans to the fullest. The India vs New Zealand game was scheduled to start on Wednesday, October 16. However, due to continuous rain, the Day 1 match could not start on time.

India and New Zealand are set to battle with each other in three games during the series. The India vs New Zealand 1st Test will take place at M.Chinnasawamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, the Day 1 was completely washed out later.

Notably, according to weather reports, Bengaluru had an 81% chance of rain a few days ahead of the match. Even in the evening, the chances of rain were more than 50%.

As expected, rain affected the game and on Day 1 there was no action. Cricketers are considered like Gods in India but even cricket has to stop when gods shower rains over stadiums. Rains in India vs New Zealand 1st Test put ICC WTC Final hopes in vain.

Also Read: Pakistan vs England 3rd Test to be moved out of Rawalpindi? PCB provides colossal update

India take top spot in ICC WTC 2023-25 points table

India take the top spot in the ICC WTC points table with 98 points. They are the top team in the points table and have a win percentage of 74.24 as of now.

With 11 wins out of 8 and 2 defeats, India is the most successful team in win percentage. India also has one drawn game in the ICC World Test Championship.

The other members of the leaderboard are Australia in 2nd spot with a 62.50 win percentage. Sri Lanka (55.56) takes the third spot with 5 wins and 4 defeats.

England and South Africa share the 4th and 5th spot with a win percentage of 45.59 and 38.89. These five teams are the closest competitors to the India Team in their race to the WTC 2025 final.

How will the India vs New Zealand washout affect India WTC final hopes?

Ahead of the recent India vs Bangladesh Test series, Rohit Sharma & Co. had 10 Tests to play. Out of these, they have to win at least 5 games and 1 draw to keep their peak spot in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 points table.

India has now won 2 games out of 10 after beating Bangladesh in a Test series recently. Now, they need to more 3 games to win out of 8 to keep their peak spot. If the Bengaluru game ended in a draw, it would be a big setback for India.

Notably, India is almost sure to bag a clean sweep in the India vs New Zealand Test series due to two reasons. India dominates at home soil in Test and has not lost a home series in the last 10 years.

Also, the BlackCaps are known for their dominance at home but when it comes to overseas places like the Asian subcontinent, they fall apart. For instance, they recently lost a 2-0 Test series to Sri Lanka- a far weaker team in Tests than New Zealand in the last two ICC WTC championships.

Also Read: Shubman Gill OUT of IND vs NZ 1st Test? Rohit Sharma's troubles gallop

1 draw game in India vs New Zealand means 1 extra win in IND vs AUS

Now, one draw game in the India vs New Zealand Test series means the Rohit Sharma & Boys will have to win one more game during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, the series takes place in Australia, and Aussies are known for their dominance at home.

Therefore, it will be tougher for India to defeat Australia later than to crush New Zealand now at home. However, another point we need to note is that India has demolished Australia in all four bilateral Test series since 2017.