Aakash Chopra warns India face tough WTC qualification path
Chopra said a 2-0 series loss to Sri Lanka would leave India at 39 percentage points and Sri Lanka at 61.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes India's chances of reaching the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 final hang heavily on the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. India will begin their Sri Lanka tour with the opening Test on August 15 and currently occupy fifth place in the standings with a points percentage of 48.15.
Chopra highlighted how significantly the standings could change depending on the outcome of the two-match series. He pointed out that a 2-0 defeat for India would dent their qualification hopes while boosting Sri Lanka's prospects. A clean sweep would improve India's position, although not dramatically, while a drawn series would do little for either side.
Chopra also underlined the difficulty of India's remaining WTC schedule. After the Sri Lanka series, India are set to travel to New Zealand for a two-Test series before hosting Australia in a five-Test contest early next year. He noted that India have not won a Test series in New Zealand since the 2008-09 tour.
CricHubb Take
The two-Test series against Sri Lanka is now the clearest fork in India's WTC path, and the shorter format leaves almost no margin for error.