Dominant India tighten grip on top spot in WTC standings
A dominant India tightened their grip on the top spot in the World Test Championship table with a 280-run victory over Bangladesh, while Sri Lanka saw off New Zealand in Galle to help their move towards a potential spot in the final at Lord’s next year.
Pant enjoyed setting field against himself
Rishabh Pant enjoyed the experience of setting the field against himself in the opening Test against Bangladesh, the wicketkeeper-batsman said. Pant made a belligerent hundred in his first Test since a horrific car accident in 2022. As entertaining with the bat as with his relentless chatter from behind the stumps, Pant was seen advising Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto what the field setting should be while he was batting. “One fielder here, midwicket,” Pant was caught saying in the stump microphone gesturing to the leg side. Shanto even obliged him by deploying a player there on Day 3 of the contest. “I was just trying to help the team that you can set a fielder here, and it was amazing... I enjoyed it.” Reuters
The two results have led to shifts in the race for the two final spots, with Sri Lanka leapfrogging their current opponents into third spot.
India’s win in Chennai and the 12 WTC points reassert their status at the top of the table, moving to a percentage of 71.67%, extending their lead over second-placed Australia (62.50%).
Bangladesh, who had jumped to the fourth position following an exceptional 2-0 win against Pakistan, dropped to sixth place (point percentage of 39.29%) behind England.
The Indians still have nine Tests remaining in this WTC cycle to decide their fate and make it to their third consecutive final of the tournament. They had ended as the runners-up in the previous two editions — losing to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023.
Bumrah the best: Smith
Seasoned Australian batter Steve Smith has spoken glowingly of Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, calling the Indian arguably the best fast bowler across formats.
The five-Test series between India and Australia begins in Perth on November 22. India have won the past two series Down Under. If India are to do a three peat, Bumrah’s rare skills will be heavily relied upon in Australia.
“He’s a wonderful bowler, whether I face him with the new ball, slightly older ball, or even the old ball. He’s got great skills with all of them. He’s a great bowler, arguably the best fast bowler across the three formats. It’s always going to be a challenge,” Smith said.
The 35-year-old opened for Australia in the past couple of series and is expected to do the same against India. Smith, a veteran of 109 Tests, is likely to cross the 10,000-run milestone in the high-profile series, having so far made 9685 runs.
Bumrah, on the other hand, has done remarkably well since making his Test debut in January 2018, taking 164 wickets in 37 games at an average of 20.51.
