WTC 2023-25 Points Table: Here’s a look at latest standings after New Zealand’s dominating win against India in Bengaluru

New Zealand Cricket. (Source – Getty Images)

Tom Latham’s New Zealand secured a commanding victory over hosts India in the first Test of the three-game Test series, in Bengaluru. Coming off a disappointing series loss to Sri Lanka, the Kiwis made a resounding Test comeback on Indian soil and went 1-0 up in the fixture.

After no play was possible on Day 1 due to heavy showers, the cricketing action began on the second day with dark clouds looming over the ground. Rohit Sharma called it correctly at the toss and elected to bat first. Soon the decision backfired on the hosts, as they were bowled for a mere 46 runs.

Consequently, the visitors put up a big total of 402 runs on the board, courtesy of a century from all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and valuable knocks from Devon Conway and Tim Southee. For India, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja picked three wickets each. In reply, the hosts had an uphill battle and had the first task to reduce the deficit. In a similar pursuit, India saw some batting masterclass from their top and middle-order batters.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scored quality half-centuries, but the man of the moment was Sarfaraz Khan, who scored his maiden Test ton and went on to score a 150. On the other hand, his partner Rishabh Pant, fell victim to an unfortunate dismissal and had to walk back after a well-made 99. The BlackCaps in no time tore apart the Indian tail and were on the road for an iconic win.

Sharma and his men were bundled out for 462 and set an easy target of 107 for the tourists. On the final day, New Zealand batters with no pressure, executed their shots to perfection and went on to record a memorable eight-wicket win on the M Chinnaswamy track. With this defeat, India is one down in the series and needs to quickly regroup to make a turnaround in the three-match tie.

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New Zealand makes notable improvement in WTC standings

In the WTC points table (World Test Championship 2023-25), the Men in Blue still hold on to the pole position after losing the first Test of the three-match series. India with three losses in 12 matches this cycle has 98 points with a PCT of 68.06%.

Meanwhile, New Zealand made a major boost in the tally as they climbed two spots up. The BlackCaps after this win, find themselves in the fourth position with 48 points a PCT of 44.44%. With two more Test matches left in this series, the tourists will look to better their position in the standings and fight for the coveted WTC final spot.

Here’s the latest WTC 2023-25 Standings