‘If we win this series 2-0, we will reach 57.58 percentage points. If we do a clean sweep, we will gain a little.’
IMAGE: Two-time finalists India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches. Photograph: BCCI/X
Key Points
- Aakash Chopra predicts India will struggle to reach the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 final, even with a 2-0 clean sweep against Sri Lanka.
- India’s current WTC standing is fifth with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150, while Sri Lanka is sixth at 41.67 PCT.
- A 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka would only raise India’s PCT to 57.58, which may not be enough given future tough fixtures.
- Upcoming challenging assignments include an away series in New Zealand and a home series against Australia, where losing even one match can significantly impact their PCT.
Former opener Aakash Chopra said India could find it difficult to make it to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final next year even if they register a 2-0 series clean sweep in the upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka.
Shubman Gill-led India will tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series starting from August 15.
Two-time finalists India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship 2025-27 standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka is in the sixth spot, with a win, a loss and two draws, with a points percentage of 41.67.
India’s WTC Standings And Sri Lanka Series Impact
Chopra said that India’s points percentage will drop further if they lose the series dealing a blow to their WTC Final hopes. On the other hand, Sri Lanka could boost their hopes of making it to the WTC Finals for the first time, if they register a 2-0 series sweep.
“If we lose 2-0, we will remain at only 39 percentage points, and Sri Lanka will jump to 61 percentage points, and they will be No. 4. Sri Lanka will be in the run if they beat India 2-0. Then they have a realistic chance of going forward, or else it’s a so-near-yet-so-far story for them,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
But India have ‘little’ to gain even if they register a 2-0 series sweep in Sri Lanka.
“If we win this series 2-0, we will reach 57.58 percentage points. If we do a clean sweep, we will gain a little. If we draw the series 1-1, we won’t gain anything because we will be at 48.48 and Sri Lanka will be at 44.44, and the positions will remain as is,” he added.
Challenges Ahead: New Zealand and Australia Tours
Chopra said with two tough Test assignments coming up — an away series in New Zealand (two Tests from November to December) and a home series against Australia (a five-match series from January 2027 to March) — it would be tough for India to qualify as losing even one Test can cost them 50 percentage points.
“Going forward, we have a two-match series in New Zealand, where it is difficult to win. Even if you lose one match, you lose 50 percentage points. It’s going to be a tough one, and after that, there are five matches against Australia in India. India is in a tough position,” he stated.
Historical Performance and Spin Woes
The upcoming Test assignments do look tough for India, given India’s poor record in New Zealand, where they have never won a Test series since 2008-09 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and only twice overall.
Even at home, they could struggle against Australia, having already been whitewashed by New Zealand and South Africa in back-to-back years.
The loss to South Africa last year was their first-ever to Proteas at home since 1999-00, with skipper Temba Bavuma making history with ICC World Test Championship title win over Australia and a series win in India in the same year.
Even in Sri Lanka, their young batting line-up face a test of spin, having struggled against spinners in home series losses against New Zealand and South Africa.
