WATCH: Mitchell Santner's slower ball leaves Sarfaraz Khan puzzled as he walks back to pavilion in 2nd Test match vs NZ

India are walking towards another defeat against New Zealand in the 2nd Test match in Pune. During the game, Mitchell Santner, who was phenomenal with his bowling, claimed 13 wickets in both innings. There are two more wickets left for India as Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep who are on the crease, trying to save the team from yet another terrifying loss. The match seems to go in the favor of the New Zealand team, owing to which India's chances to win the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 finals seem like a distant dream now. 

During the second innings, Sarfaraz Khan was dismissed by Santner, who bowled a slower ball. The ball confused the batter, and he couldn't believe that his stumps had come off. Sarafaraz departed on a disappointing note and was hesitant to leave the ground. With this wicket, India's chances of winning the game were reduced drastically. 

WATCH the video here:

It ain't the pitch, its Mitch 🤷🏻‍♂️#INDvNZ #IDFCFirstBankTestTrophy #TeamIndia #Santner #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/3KUKUszQfM

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) October 26, 2024

None of the batters stood the test of time as India kept losing wickets at regular intervals, except for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 77 runs off 65 balls, including nine boundaries and three sixes. He tried his best to fight back and chase the score but couldn't survive the wrath of Mitchell Santner. 

India's Qualification Chances for WTC 2025 Finals

India are on the verge of losing their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 finals because of their two consecutive losses against New Zealand in the 3-match Test series. Now the equations are clear: India will have to win four games out of six remaining and draw two games. The challenge is the BGT series against Australia, who are right below India in the WTC points table. 

Four teams will be looking forward to entering the finals: India, Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. It will be extremely difficult for India to make their way into the finals since they have lost a couple of games already. From hereon, they'll have to win almost all the matches to make their third consecutive entry into the finals.