India’s impressive win in the Perth Test has brightened their chances of qualifying for the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Recovering from a first innings batting collapse, India made a stunning comeback to crush Australia by 295 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener and take 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
While there’s a long way to go before India can confirm their qualification for the WTC final, spin legend Harbhajan Singh reckons that the team will definitely play the championship match next year should they manage to eke out another win on their ongoing tour of Australia.
“If they win another game, I think India will definitely go into the WTC (final) but it’s not important to reach there, it’s important to win we will reach there,” Harbhajan told news agency PTI.
Currently, India are at the top of the WTC points table followed by reigning champions Australia. As many as five teams are in the running for the final.
India were led by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah in the Perth Test with Rohit Sharma missing the contest due to personal reasons. Harbhajan praised how Bumrah led the side.
“Bumrah is an amazing player, and of course, he has got a great mindset. I have been a huge supporter of Bumrah from Day One and he has got that very calm kind of personality,” he said.
“He knows his game and he is one of those guys who is a very likeable person in the dressing room. He commands a lot of respect in the dressing room so when such a person leads you from the front, the team obviously follows,” he added.
Harbhajan feels that the happiness of winning a Test in Perth “doubles” since it’s been a happy hunting ground for Australia.
