India slip to second in WTC standings, need to win four out of five Tests in Australia to make final
Dubai, Nov 3: India conceded their top place in the World Test Championship standings to Australia following a crushing 0-3 Test series defeat against New Zealand and now they need to win at least four games in their five-match series Down Under to stay in the race for the final.
India lost to New Zealand by 25 runs in the third and final Test in Mumbai, resulting in a 0-3 whitewash, their first in a home Test series since South Africa's 2-0 win in 1999-2000.
It was India's fifth loss in the ongoing WTC cycle, causing a significant drop in their points percentage (PCT), which fell from 62.82 to 58.33.
Australia regained the top spot with a PCT of 62.50.
India are now scheduled to fly down under to play Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which has gained more significance now as both teams will be vying for the top two spots.
To secure a place in the final, India must achieve a 4-0 victory over the Australians, which will boost their percentage to 65.79.
Even a 2-3 loss could leave a slim chance for second place, provided New Zealand draw with England and South Africa split their series.
For defending champions Australia to qualify for a successive time, a 3-2 victory over India will keep them ahead in the race, even if they falter against Sri Lanka later on.
However, to avoid relying on external outcomes, they will need to secure five wins out of their seven remaining matches.
New Zealand's historic series sweep in India has also bolstered their WTC final aspirations.
They have climbed to the fourth spot with a PCT of 54.55, while Sri Lanka occupy third place with a PCT of 55.56.
With three home Tests against England remaining, New Zealand can keep their hopes alive winning all three, potentially pushing their percentage to 64.29.
But a single loss could drop them back into the pack, depending on other results. Buoyed by their recent resurgence, third-placed Sri Lanka are also in contention.
With four crucial Tests remaining against South Africa and Australia, they can clinch a spot in the final with four victories, pushing their percentage to 69.23%.
South Africa, currently fifth with a PCT of 54.17, also remain in contention for a top-two finish and a place in the next year's one-off Test at Lord's.
With four Tests left against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, South Africa’s path is clear: win all four to secure a strong 69.44% finish -- which can be surpassed only if Australia secure best possible finish (76.32%).
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
