India will begin a crucial two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, August 15, with valuable World Test Championship (WTC) points up for grabs. As the race for a place in the WTC final heats up, Shubman Gill’s side cannot afford to drop points.

At the moment, India are fifth in the WTC standings with a points percentage (PCT) of 48.15, while Sri Lanka are just behind in sixth with 41.67. Bangladesh occupy fourth place on 58.33 PCT, meaning both India and Sri Lanka still have a realistic chance of moving up the table.

However, the competition is expected to get tougher. Bangladesh will first host the West Indies before travelling to Australia for a challenging Test series, making every result important in the race to the final.

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WTC Points table

Pos Team Played Won Lost Draw Points PCT
1 Australia 8 7 1 0 84 87.50
2 South Africa 4 3 1 0 36 75.00
3 New Zealand 6 4 1 1 52 72.22
4 Bangladesh 4 2 1 1 28 58.33
5 India 9 4 4 1 52 48.15
6 Sri Lanka 4 1 1 2 20 41.67

What if India win the series?

If India win one Test and the other ends in a draw, they will collect 16 points from the series. Their total will rise to 68 points, improving their points percentage to 51.51. In that scenario, Sri Lanka’s PCT will fall to 33.33.

The best outcome for India would be a 2-0 clean sweep. Winning both matches would earn India 24 points, taking their overall tally to 76 points after 11 Tests. Their points percentage would jump to 57.58, giving them a much stronger position in the standings.

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For Sri Lanka, losing both Tests at home would be a major setback. Their points percentage would slip to 27.78, leaving them only slightly ahead of seventh-placed England, who currently have a PCT of 24.36 after winning four of their 13 Tests.

A series victory would help India strengthen their position in fifth place, and they could even move above Bangladesh into fourth if Bangladesh struggle in their upcoming series against Australia. Even with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka, though, India will still remain outside the top three, as New Zealand currently hold a much stronger points percentage of 72.22.