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by IANS |
New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) After the back-to-back defeats against New Zealand, which saw them lose the first home Test series since 2012, the Indian team is aiming for a strong comeback in the final match in Mumbai, starting on November 1.
Despite the consecutive setbacks, the morale of the Indian side is flying high as they eye to bounce back to keep their World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes alive. Amid the media scrutiny and backlash from former cricketers on the series loss, the sources close to the team denied any tension or concern within the Indian dressing room.
"All is well within the team, they will come back stronger in next Test, nothing to worry about," the sources close to the Indian squad told IANS.
Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a massive 113-run loss against New Zealand in the second Test in Pune last week which narrowed their egde over second-placed Australia in the WTC standings.
India continue to lead the standings with 98 points after 13 matches while Australia have 90 points to claim the second place. However, India's points percentage dropped to 62.82 after the first series loss at home in over a decade. On the other hand, Australia are not that behind in points percentage with 62.50.
With the three-match series already in their kitty, New Zealand have climbed to the fourth spot in the WTC standings with back-to-back wins over India. They have 60 points same as third-placed Sri Lanka but fall behind in the points percentage.
Currently, South Africa are placed fifth with 40 points in seven Tests above England, Pakistan Bangladesh and West Indies, respectively.
India's road to the WTC final will face an uphill task with six Tests remaining including five against Australia in Down Under. India need to win at least four matches in the remaining games to bolster their case for the third consecutive WTC final. However, anything short of that will make them depend on other teams for the summit clash.
Apart from Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa are in contention for the top two finish in the current WTC cycle.
After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, Australia will host Sri Lanka for two Tests while South Africa will play one more Test against Bangladesh before hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan for a two-Test home series.
Whereas, New Zealand will play a three-Test home series against England after the third Test against India at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting on November 1.
New Zealand won the inaugural WTC title while Australia are the defending champions in the format. Both teams won against India in the finals.
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