India has taken a major step towards securing a place in the ICC World Test Championship final with a dominant 188-run victory over Bangladesh in Chattogram. Despite a valiant effort from Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan, who scored 84 runs, the hosts' last four wickets fell before lunch on the final day as India emerged victorious in the first match of the two-Test series. Spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav shared seven wickets between them and helped India climb the World Test Championship standings, earning them 12 points and a 55.77% win percentage.
As a result of the victory, India has moved up to third place on the standings, surpassing Sri Lanka and behind only Australia and South Africa. However, those two teams are currently facing off in a three-match series in Australia, providing India with an opportunity to close the gap during the remainder of their series against Bangladesh. The second and final Test of the series begins in Mirpur on Thursday, and another win for India could see them close in on the leading teams.
India is looking to secure a top-two finish in the World Test Championship and qualify for the final, which will take place in June 2023. The team fell to New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's last year and will be eager to make amends if they can secure a spot in the 2023 decider. In the meantime, India will host Australia for four Test matches in February and March next year.