India Risk Points Penalty for Slow Over Rate? Where Will They Stand in the WTC Points Table

Things could change drastically if the Men in Blue face a fine for slow over rate.

The Indian team is currently at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) Points Table and are the frontrunner to seal a berth in next year’s Final at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

However, things could change drastically if the Men in Blue face a fine for slow over rate and their points are docked. Recently, New Zealand and England paid a penalty of three points each for slow over rates after the culmination of the first Test of the three-match series. Following that, the Blackcaps dropped to the fifth place and now India can also suffer a similar fate.

To make things worse, during the first day of the second Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test in Adelaide when Australia were batting, the match had to be paused twice after the floodlight malfunctioned.

India began bowling at 7:27 PM (Australian time) and finished the final over at 10:05 PM. This translates to a bowling rate of approximately 12-13 overs per hour, which is below the mandated rate of 14 overs per hour. If they are unable to compensate for this shortfall, they may be subject to a fine.

Where will India stand in WTC Points Table if fined for slow over rate?

Australia, on the other hand, won’t risk getting fined despite being behind on the over rate, since they managed to dismiss India in just 40 overs.

With Ashiwn as the lone spinner in the visiting Indian side, automatically it’s the pacers who are taking over most of the workload and bowling a chunk of the overs. However, pacers tend to bowl slower overs due to their long run-ups, while spinners can complete their overs more quickly.

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According to the rules, for every over bowled short, teams will be deducted one point each. While getting a penalty wouldn’t affect India’s position much if they win, Rohit Sharma and his men risk dropping to the second or the third place if they suffer a loss and incur points penalty.

Here is a table of India’s PCT in any of the probable outcomes.