Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka beat Tim Southee’s New Zealand by 63 runs on Monday to win the first Test of the ongoing two-match series.
Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 63 runs on Monday (September 23) to win the first Test of the ongoing two-match series. In the series opener played at Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka dismissed New Zealand for 211 runs in the second inning after posting a target of 275 runs for them to chase down and win the match. No. 4 batter Rachin Ravindra top-scored for the Kiwis in the second inning by scoring 92 runs from 168 balls, but he failed to help Tim Southee-led side chase down the target and win the match.
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After losing the series opener by 63 runs, New Zealand has dropped to No. 4 position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table. The inaugural edition winners have 42.86 PCT%. On the other hand, after winning its second match in a row, Sri Lanka has jumped to No. 3 position. They have 50.00 PCT%.
Rohit Sharma-led Team India sits at the No. 1 position in the WTC 2023-25 points table. The world No. 2 Test team, which hammered Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series on Sunday (September 22) in Chennai, has 71.67 PCT%. They are followed by 2023 champions Australia, which has 62.50 PCT%.
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According to the rules, the top two teams of the WTC points table will face each other in the final match next year, which is scheduled to take place at the Lord’s.
India played in the finals of the 2021 and 2023 editions of the WTC, but on both occasions, it ended up on the losing side.
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Bangladesh, which came into the Test series against India against beating Pakistan in both the Test matches played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium last month, is in sixth place with 39.29 PCT%.
After the conclusion of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, India will face New Zealand in a three-match Test series next month. The first Test between India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru, and the next two matches will be played in Pune and Mumbai, respectively.
India is also set to travel to Australia later this year for a five-match Test series, which will start on November 22 in Perth.
