Where India lies on WTC points table after defeating Australia in first BGT Test, and a way forward for WTC Final?

Team India beat Australia in the first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024 by a massive margin of 295 runs. With this win, India claimed the first spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. In Perth, India scripted history under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah, who was also the Player of the Match for claiming eight wickets in two innings.

It was a famous win for the team that will be remembered for a long time. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli scored 161 and 100 runs, respectively, giving a mammoth target to Australia. Chasing 534 runs in two days wasn't an easy job at all with the Indian pace attack.

However, Travis Head did try to get the team through and played around for a while. He scored 89 runs but Bumrah dismissed him by setting smart strategies for the player. Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy were brilliant too. 

Debutant Reddy played a crucial role in the game scoring 41 and 38 runs in both innings. He even claimed his first Test wicket of Mitchell Marsh who was batting on 47 runs off 67 balls. Overall, the Indian team did well in both innings and are now onto a flying start. 

This win gets them one step closer to the WTC 2025 finals. Now, India has to win three more games to qualify for the finals. Rohit Sharma will return in the next game which is a huge relief for the team. Having an experienced player like him in the top order is much needed. 

Virat Kohli doesn't need us: Jasprit Bumrah

Virat Kohli's comeback century was the need of the hour for the Indian fans. To know that the Kohli everybody knew is still there and one flop series doesn't define the kind of player he is. At the presser, captain Jasprit Bumrah spoke about Kohli and his contributions to the team.

Bumrah was clear enough to mention that the team needs him. "Virat Kohli doesn't need us, we need Virat Kohli. His experience is invaluable," said Bumrah at the post-game presser. Kohli's century came in just 143 balls.