Gambhir, Rohit in dire straits as WTC plan takes major hit after NZ loss

New Zealand, on Sunday, scripted history as they beat India by eight wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to record their first-ever win in the country in 36 years. It was also their third win in history on Indian soil, having achieved their first in 1969. On the contrary, India’s streak of six straight wins at home since the Hyderabad defeat to England at the start of this year came to an end, but the bigger concern for head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma was that the loss disrupted their World Test Championship plans.
Despite the loss, India still sits at the top of the WTC points table, having scripted eight wins in 12 matches so far in the campaign. This leaves them with a PCT of 68.05, a decrease from their previous figure of 74.24.
Heading into the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, India needed to script another whitewash to assure themselves a ticket to the WTC final for the third time in a row. A 3-0 winning margin in the home contest would have left India without a worry in the all-important Border-Gavaskar series in Australia, which will begin next month in Perth.
However, a loss against New Zealand left India in a precarious spot as they not only need to bounce back in the ongoing series to script a 2-1 win, but also will need to avoid more than one loss in the Australia Test series. In a nutshell, for India to now guarantee themselves qualification to the WTC final, regardless of other results, they need at least four wins and two draws (56 points) in their remaining seven Tests, to have a PCT of 67.54.
After dismissing India for their worst home total of 46 and making 402 in reply, New Zealand bowled out Rohit’s side for 462 in the second innings on Saturday to lay the platform for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
In response to the 107-run target, New Zealand batters were left clueless under the gloomy Bengaluru sky on Sunday, before Jasprit Bumrah snared two quick wickets to instill some belief of a miraculous escape. But Rachin Ravindra and Will Young remained calm under pressure to get the job done, earning New Zealand only their third win on Indian soil in 38 attempts, going back to 1955.