India's hopes of qualifying for the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) final took a hit after the second Test against Sri Lanka ended in a draw in Colombo on Thursday.
The result left India fifth in the WTC points table with five wins and 68 points. Its points percentage (PCT) also slipped from 53.33 to 51.52 following the draw.
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With seven Tests still to play in the current WTC cycle, India remains in the race for a place in the final. However, the road ahead is far from straightforward, with the team set to face New Zealand away in a two-Test series before taking on Australia in a five-match home Border-Gavaskar Test series.
India are placed below Bangladesh, who have a PCT of 55.56% from the six matches they have played.
India's Road Ahead In WTC
India's next assignment will be a two-Test away series against New Zealand, beginning in November. The team will then host Australia for a five-Test series in early 2027.
That leaves India with seven Tests in which it will need a strong run of results to keep its hopes of reaching the WTC final alive.
The challenge is particularly significant given the quality of opposition India will face in the remainder of the cycle.
Australia currently sits at the top of the WTC points table with 80 percentage points, while New Zealand is placed at third with 72.22 percentage points.
New Zealand Test Series Could Be Crucial
India's two-Test tour of New Zealand could prove particularly important in determining its position in the WTC standings.
The last time the two sides met in Test cricket, New Zealand completed a 3-0 series sweep in India. The defeat was India's first Test series loss at home in 12 years.
India will therefore have to overcome a difficult recent record against the Black Caps when the two teams meet again in November.
The Indian team will take on New Zealand in a full-fledged tour, which will begin with a five-match T20I series under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer.
Indian fans will then get to see veterans of the game, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in action under the captaincy of Shubman Gill. India will then head on to play a two-Test match series against the Black Caps, starting on Nov. 19 in Wellington, followed by the second Test in Christchurch.
The subsequent five-Test series against Australia at home will provide India with another major opportunity to collect points, but the margin for error could be limited by then.
For India, the draw in Colombo means that every result in the remaining seven Tests could carry significant weight as the race for the WTC final intensifies.
ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 Points Table
*(Figures accurate as of Aug. 27, 2026)
Sri Lanka's resilience with the bat ensures that only three wickets fall on the final day. The two teams shake hands after a hard-fought Test, which ends in a draw.#TeamIndia win the series 1-0.
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2026
Details - https://t.co/Uh4Xgn8rB5 pic.twitter.com/spxoqmBzct
A victory in the first Test at Galle and a closely contested second Test ending in a draw at Colombo.
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2026
India win the Series 1–0. #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/SjCwxmZtIS
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