Updated World Test Championship standings after South Africa beat India by 30 runs in low-scoring Kolkata Test
South Africa defeated India in the opening Test of the two-match series in Kolkata, which resulted in their ranking in the last World Test Championship (WTC) cycle improving. The difficult pitch made the target of 124 very difficult for India, who ultimately lost by 30 runs.
India slipped to fourth place after a disappointing 30-run defeat against reigning World Test Champions South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Chasing 123 runs, India faltered under pressure on a pitch that favored spin and collapsed for just 93 runs. The team faced an additional setback with the loss of Test captain Shubman Gill due to neck spasm before the start of play. South Africa, led by skipper Temba Bavuma with an impressive 55 runs, managed to post 153 runs in the second innings. Bavuma was the only player to surpass 40 runs in the entire Test and it was South Africa’s first Test victory in India in 15 years.
India have suffered three defeats in the current WTC cycle, following two defeats in England earlier this year. In contrast, South Africa, who began their title defense in Pakistan last month, managed two wins from three matches to post a points percentage of 66.67, placing them second behind Australia, who won all three Tests in this edition.
The defeat marks India’s second loss in a home Test match while chasing a target of under 150 runs under coach Gautam Gambhir. No other team attempting to chase less than 150 runs has lost at home in the 21st century. Last year, New Zealand registered a historic 3-0 score against India, denying the home team a 147-run chase at the Wankhede Stadium and winning by 25 runs.
The victory marks South Africa’s second consecutive win in the new WTC cycle, allowing the reigning champions to move up several places in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, currently sharing second place with Sri Lanka.
After two wins in three matches in the new cycle, South Africa moved up the rankings with a points percentage of 66.67, while India fell to the 4th place with a points percentage dropping from 57.14 to 54.16 and is now slightly ahead of Pakistan and England.
Updated WTC 205-27 Points Table
| Exposure | Set | M. | W | L. | D. | Point | PCT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 100.00 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 66.67 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 4 | India | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 54.16 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 6 | England | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 43.33 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 8 | West Indies | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
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