Australia's dominant 184-run win over India in the Melbourne Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has significantly boosted their chances of making it to the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final. With this victory, Pat Cummins' Australian team now needs just one more Test win to confirm their place in the final at Lord's next year, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC). While Australia currently leads the race for the second spot, India, led by Rohit Sharma, still has an outside shot. However, Sri Lanka’s hopes are very much alive, though both India and Sri Lanka need a series of favorable results to keep their qualification chances intact.

In the earlier Boxing Day Test in Centurion, South Africa's remarkable ten-wicket partnership between Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen helped the Proteas secure a thrilling two-wicket win over Pakistan. This victory guaranteed South Africa’s place in the WTC final next June, marking the first team to officially secure a spot in the final.

The Proteas' nail-biting win over Pakistan was filled with drama, with Rabada and Jansen playing the role of heroes once again. The two had earlier led South Africa to victory over Afghanistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final. South Africa’s victory in Centurion now makes their next encounter in Cape Town a formality, as they are already assured of a place in the final.

Australia, after a difficult start in the Border-Gavaskar series, where they lost the first Test, showed great resilience, bouncing back to dominate the next three Tests. They secured crucial victories in Adelaide and Melbourne, putting themselves in a strong position to finish in the top two. Now, with their Melbourne win, Australia needs just one more win in their remaining three encounters to ensure a place at Lord's for the WTC final.

India, however, has faced a turbulent 2024/25 season. They started strong with a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh but then suffered an unexpected historic loss to New Zealand at home. Their hopes of qualification were revived when they defeated Australia in the opening Test of their series in Perth, led by stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah. However, losses in the subsequent two Tests in Australia have hurt their chances.

For India to make it to the WTC final, they must win the final Test of their series against Australia. Additionally, they will need Sri Lanka to either win or draw their upcoming series against Australia early next year, as this will directly impact India’s chances.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's dream of securing a second WTC title was dented after a loss to England in the first Test of their series in Christchurch. To make matters worse, New Zealand was penalized three points for a slow over-rate, causing them to drop to fifth place in the standings. Their position worsened further after a heavy defeat in the second Test in Wellington, where they lost by a massive 323 runs, dropping them to sixth place as England moved ahead of them. Despite a resounding victory in their final Test, New Zealand's hopes of reaching the final were dashed, and they remain out of contention for the top spot.

In conclusion, Australia is now firmly in control of its destiny, while India, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand all need a combination of results to stay in the race for the World Test Championship final.