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IND vs ENG (Source: X)
Australia beat New Zealand by 172 runs in the first Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, giving India a huge boost in their 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. The Kiwis saw a significant drop in points percentage (PCT), which helped Rohit Sharma and Co. to jump to the top spot in the points table.
With a PCT of 64.58, India are the current No.1 in the standings, while New Zealand placed in second position with a PCT of 60. Notably, the Men in Blue have an opportunity to cement their place on the top if they manage to beat England in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala starting March 7.
Australia and Bangladesh are in the third and fourth positions respectively. The defending champions took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series against the inaugural WTC winners and saw their PCT rise from 55 to 59.09.
Meanwhile, England, who suffered their first series defeat under the reins of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, are second last in the table with 19.44 points. Sri Lanka are at the bottom as they are yet to open the account in the ongoing WTC cycle.
Here is the updated WTC points table after India's win in the 3rd Test against England
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Points | PCT |
| India | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 62 | 64.58 |
| New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 60.00 |
| Australia | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 78 | 59.09 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| Pakistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 36.66 |
| West Indies | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 33.33 |
| South Africa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 25.00 |
| England | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 19.44 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Cameron Green, Nathan Lyon shine in Australia's comprehensive win
Asked to bat first, Australia were put on the back foot. They lost some early wickets, but all-rounder Cameron Green notched up his second Test hundred to bail his team out of trouble. His last-wicket partnership of 116 runs with Josh Hazlewood took Australia to 383 in the first innings.
New Zealand, in reply, were bundled out for 179 runs after Nathan Lyon wreaked havoc with a four-wicket haul. The visitors added 164 more runs in the second innings. Coming into the ground on Sunday, they needed seven more wickets and finished things off in one session. It was spin wizard Lyon who once again led the procedure for Aussies with a six-for. The second match will start on March 8 at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch.