Basit Ali reckons India will deeply regret series loss against New Zealand as road to WTC final gets tough

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali feels India will deeply regret the 3-0 home series loss against New Zealand as their path to the World Test Championship final has got tough. India also suffered a 10-wicket loss against Australia in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, which has put them under more pressure.

India was well placed to qualify for their third consecutive WTC final but a whitewash against New Zealand has put them in troubled waters. 

For Rohit Sharma’s team to qualify for the WTC Final, they need to beat Australia by either 4-1 or 3-1. If India gets any other result, they will need favors from other teams.

Basit Ali said on his YouTube Channel, “Can India win the series 4-1? It seems difficult. Now, India should focus on winning the Border-Gavaskar series. Now, discussions will start about the whitewash against New Zealand. India will deeply regret that it was a huge mistake.”

“No one could have imagined that the Indian team, which was defeated by England on their home ground, would be whitewashed by New Zealand. But this is what cricket is about. India is now bearing the consequences of losing that series,” he added.

Ali reckons the final of WTC should be between Australia and India. Australia has five Test matches remaining in the ongoing cycle whereas India has three.

“If India are out, Australia will have very bright chances. Australia have the advantage of five matches, while India only has three. Let’s see. The final should be between India and Australia.”

If India registers a 3-2 series win against Australia, then Sri Lanka will need to draw one of their two home Test matches against the Aussies for India to confirm their WTC final berth. If India draws the series 2-2 against Australia, they will want Sri Lanka to win the series against Australia by either 1-0 or 2-0.

The third Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane from December 14.