Revealed: How can India qualify for WTC Final after loss to New Zealand in Bengaluru

India National Cricket Team have put themselves in a spot of bother after the loss against the New Zealand National Cricket Team in the first match of the three-match series. They faced a poor 8-wicket loss in the series opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Things didn't go in India's favor right from the start as they were blown away by the New Zealand National Cricket Team bowlers. The Rohit Sharma-led side got bundled out for just 46 runs, which is the lowest ever by the team in Asian conditions in the history of the longest format of the game.

With the ball, too, in the first innings, things didn't go as they would've wanted. Indian spinners, as well as the pacers, tried hard, but they couldn't take the wickets early on. New Zealand batters, in particular Rachin Ravindra (134) and Devon Conway (91) at the top, frustrated the bowlers and scored runs freely.

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Tim Southee (65) also played a vital hand as the New Zealand National Cricket Team posted a massive total of 402 runs on the board. They took a massive lead of 356 runs, which was the highest lead taken by the Kiwis in Test cricket against the Rohit Sharma-led side.

India take a lead of 106 runs in the second innings

The hosts batted well in the second innings with Rohit Sharma (52) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (35) giving a solid start to the team. After that, Virat Kohli, who was slotted to bat at No.3 in the game, played a solid innings of 70 runs and returned to form after having a few low scores under his belt.

But the real hero for the hosts was Sarfaraz Khan, who slammed his maiden century for the team and ended with an innings of 150. He, along with Rishabh Pant, who scored 99 runs, brought the team back in the game with their 174-run partnership and ensured that their team got the lead.

New Zealand win the first Test by 8 wickets

After Sarfaraz and Pant got out, India's batters yet again struggled and got all out for 462 runs, setting a target of just 107 runs for New Zealand to chase.

The Kiwis then comfortably achieved the target by 8 wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series.

India's chances to qualify for the ICC WTC Final

After the loss against New Zealand, India's road to the ICC World Test Championship final has taken a hit. Even though they are still at the top it won't be easy for them now. The Rohit Sharma-led currently have eight wins in 12 matches. They have a PCT of 68.05. Notably, it was 74.24 ahead of the first Test.

To qualify for the final of the ICC WTC, Rohit's Army will now need to make sure that they win the next two games against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai respectively. After that, they need to make sure that they don't lose more than two games against the Australia National Cricket Team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Hence, for them to qualify, India need at least four wins and two draws (56 points) in their remaining seven Tests, to have a PCT of 67.54. This would guarantee them a spot in the final. However, if they lose more than two games in the ongoing cycle, it would be curtains for them.