Former India head coach Rahul Dravid believes India may have fallen behind in the race to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, but insists the two-time finalists are far from out of contention given the quality in their squad.
India are currently fifth in the WTC 2025-27 points table and face an uphill battle to finish among the top two and secure a place in next year’s summit clash. With several crucial Tests still to come, India will need to win the majority of their remaining matches to keep their hopes of a third WTC final appearance firmly alive.
Dravid, however, is not ready to count India out just yet.
“I’m hoping they do. It’ll be a great run if India can qualify for the WTC final from here,” Dravid told JioStar when asked if India could still make the summit clash.
“They’ve fallen behind a little bit, but the kind of quality that the Indian team has, you’re not going to write them off at any stage. They started off well against Sri Lanka, so that’s a good first step,” he added.
India currently lead their two-match series against Sri Lanka 1-0 and have the upper hand in the second Test following a strong batting performance. A series win would provide India with valuable points and momentum, but the road ahead is considerably more demanding.
NZ TOUR CAN DEFINE INDIA’S WTC FATE
India’s next major challenge in the WTC cycle will come in October, when they travel to New Zealand for a two-Test series. Dravid believes the assignment could be particularly difficult, especially for a young Indian squad that has limited experience of playing Test cricket in those conditions.
“New Zealand away is always a challenge. They are a tough team to play away from home. A lot of the young Indian boys have not played in those conditions, so that’s going to be a big challenge,” Dravid said.
The former India captain also highlighted the experience India have lost with the departures of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Their absence leaves a younger group to take on the challenge in New Zealand.
“Hopefully, they can keep the guys fit and not have a lot of injuries over the next few months. We’re missing the experience of Virat and Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara, these kinds of guys who’ve probably been there the last time India went,” Dravid said.
After the New Zealand tour, India will face another major test when Australia arrive for a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series from January 2027.
Dravid expects Australia to be highly motivated, particularly with the visitors still searching for a Test series win in India.
“Australia will be really exciting. A lot of their players will be very keen to do well in India. That’s a generation of truly great Australian players, a great Australian team that has not won in India. So they’ll be keen to do that,” he said.
India’s route to the WTC final is undoubtedly becoming tougher, but there is still plenty of cricket left in the cycle. With Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia standing between them and a potential place in the final, India will need consistency, fitness and strong performances from their next generation.
For now, Dravid’s verdict is simple: India may have fallen behind, but they are certainly not out.
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