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The India National Cricket Team, led by Shubman Gill, has kept their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final hopes alive after winning the two-match Test series 1-0 against Sri Lanka. However, India now has very little room for mistakes after the drawn second Test in Colombo on August 27.
Now, Shubman Gill and his team cannot afford another series where valuable points are dropped if they want to make it to the WTC Final 2027, which is scheduled for The Oval, England. Amid this, Cheteshwar Pujara says Shubman Gill needs to learn lot as India captain.
India’s road to the WTC Final 2027 after Sri Lanka series
The missed opportunity to complete a 2-0 series sweep in Sri Lanka has made the road to the WTC Final 2027 ahead tougher for the Shubman Gill-led Indian National Cricket Team.
After the Sri Lanka series, the Indian team remained at the fifth position in the updated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table.
They have 68 points and 51.52 percentage in 11 test matches this cycle. Sri Lanka also remained at the sixth spot with 24 points and a 33.33 percentage in 6 matches. Australia strengthened its position at the top of the standing after winning the second and final Test against Bangladesh.
Now, India has seven Tests remaining in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, and they need to win at least five of them to keep their final chances strong.
The WTC Final 2027 scenario
The outcome in Colombo makes the upcoming Test series against New Zealand and Australia extremely important. They just somehow need to keep their points percentage above 60% to stay firmly in the race for the WTC final.
India will now have to collect as many points as possible from these games. Winning five or six of the seven Tests would put the team in a very strong position for the WTC Final 2027. Amid this, Sonal Dinusha creates history with Colombo ton vs India, full list of records.
The dream scenario would be winning all seven remaining Tests. Such a perfect run would push India’s final points percentage to well over 70, giving them an excellent chance of finishing among the top two teams. However, a points percentage around 60-65% has often been enough to secure the top two finishes.
Missed Colombo sweep makes New Zealand tour extremely crucial for India
India wanted a 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka, but the second Test ended in a draw. This has put the team under pressure to win both Test matches in New Zealand in November. They must aim for a whitewash, but at least one big win will keep their qualification hopes alive.
The Australia series could decide the fate
India will host Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year. Now, they have to win the five-match Test series with a 4-1 or 4-0 margin to boost their WTC points.
More than two defeats could hurt India’s chances
If India lose more than two of their remaining seven Tests, their qualification chances will be in danger. They may then have to depend on other teams’ results to make it to the WTC Final. Currently, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand are in a great position for a top-two finish.
