Mumbai: India suffered a 25-run defeat to New Zealand in the third Test in Mumbai on Sunday, resulting in a consolation victory for New Zealand and a drop to second place for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 standings.
Rishabh Pant stood out as the sole Indian batsman to offer resistance, scoring a masterful 64 even as the team slumped to 29-5 on a challenging Wankhede Stadium pitch. Ajaz Patel continued his exceptional performance, securing 6-57, marking his second five-wicket haul of the match, and once again decimating the Indian side.
Sharma initiated the scoring by stepping out to drive Matt Henry for a boundary in the first over. However, his struggle for form persisted, and he was dismissed for 11 following an impetuous stroke against the same bowler.
Patel’s relentless attack yielded another wicket in the following over when Shubman Gill, after a remarkable 90 in the first innings, misjudged a delivery that bowled him out for one.
Virat Kohli’s stint was brief; he nicked Patel to slip for a single, plunging India into deeper trouble at 18-3 on the capricious pitch of Wankhede Stadium.
A hush descended over the crowd once more as Yashasvi Jaiswal was adjudged lbw for five off Glenn Phillips, and Sarfaraz Khan sent a Patel full toss directly to Rachin Ravindra in the outfield, also scoring one.
Ravindra Jadeja, alongside Pant, stabilized the innings with a 42-run partnership, but Will Young’s spectacular catch left India struggling at 71-6.
After lunch, Patel’s dismissal of Pant, which followed a New Zealand review, was controversial as the batsman seemed to indicate he hadn’t touched the ball before it was caught. Subsequently, India’s scoring halted, leading to their collapse.
Earlier, New Zealand had resumed their second innings at 171-9, but it took India just 14 balls to dismiss the Black Caps, with Jadeja securing Patel’s wicket in the deep, finishing with impressive figures of 5-55, adding to his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
The team led by Rohit Sharma began the three-match series at the top of the WTC standings but ended up losing their lead over Australia following a 0-3 series loss. The two teams are set to compete in a five-match series starting on November 22.
New Zealand advanced to fourth place, keeping their chances alive for qualifying for the final.
Sri Lanka and South Africa are currently in third and fifth places, respectively, and both remain contenders for the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025, with only the top teams making it to the final.
WTC 2023-25 POINTS TABLE
| Pos. | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT |
| 1 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 62.50 |
| 2 | India | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 98 | 58.33 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 72 | 54.54 |
| 5 | South Africa | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 54.17 |
| 6 | England | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 93 | 40.79 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 33.33 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 27.50 |
| 9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 18.52 |
