Aakash Chopra admits India is in a 'tough position' in WTC table ahead of Sri Lanka series

Aakash Chopra (File pic)

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra evaluated the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 qualification prospects for India and Sri Lanka ahead of their upcoming two-match Test series starting August 15. Chopra highlighted that fifth-placed India (48.150 PCT) faces a challenging road, while sixth-placed Sri Lanka (41.67 PCT) could jump into top-four contention with a strong performance.

Discussing the upcoming tour on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted how a series defeat would severely damage Shubman Gill-led India's standing while boosting Sri Lanka's chances.

"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.

He noted that even a series win provides little gains for India, whereas a series draw offers little benefit.

"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.

India set for a tough road ahead with difficult series against Australia

Looking beyond the Sri Lanka series, Chopra emphasised that India's next fixtures, a two-Test away series in New Zealand followed by a five-Test home series against Australia, leave no room for error.

"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," Chopra added.

India's recent struggles against spin and home series losses to the SENA nations further complicate their campaign, making a dominant performance in Sri Lanka essential to maintaining their qualification hopes.

India has reached the WTC final twice, losing to New Zealand by 8 wickets in 2021 and to Australia by 209 runs in 2023.

(With inputs from ANI)