Legendary batter Rahul Dravid believes that India have “fallen behind a little bit” in the race to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final at The Oval next year.
Dravid, who played international cricket for India from 1996 to 2012 and later coached the team from November 2021 to June 2024, believes India’s strong start to the ongoing two-Test series against Sri Lanka is a positive sign.
However, he also feels the road ahead will not be easy, especially with India set to face New Zealand in a two-Test series later this year.
India will face New Zealand in a two-Test series starting November 19, 2026, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The second Test will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Dravid believes India still have enough quality to make a comeback in the race.
“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 would be able to make the WTC 2027 final.
Dravid Backs India To Bounce Back
Despite India’s current position in the table, Dravid does not believe they should be ruled out.
“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’s upcoming series against New Zealand could prove crucial to their WTC campaign, with both teams looking to strengthen their position in the race for a place in the 2027 final.
India's qualification scenario for WTC Final
India are scheduled to play seven Test matches, excluding the ongoing match against Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue need to win their remaining matches to seal their berth for the WTC final, which is scheduled to take place at the Oval in London. However, losing more than one or two games from here heavily complicates or ends direct qualification without relying on favourable results from other contenders like Australia and South Africa.
India's upcoming Test assignments
India will travel to New Zealand for the two-Test match series, which will take place from 19 November to 1 December. After that, the side will take on Australia for the five-Test match series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2026-27, which will take place from January 21 to March 3.