Can India qualify for WTC final after 0-2 whitewash?:Indian team slips below Pakistan, elimination threat looms large

After being whitewashed 2-0 by World Test Champions South Africa, India has fallen below Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) rankings. Pakistan is in fourth place with 50% points, while India has slipped down to fifth place with 48.15% points. South Africa bowled India out for 140 runs in the second innings and registered a victory by 408 runs. This was India’s biggest defeat in Tests by a margin of runs. With this win, the Proteas team has strengthened its position at number two in the WTC points table. Now India’s WTC equation in the story… South Africa registers historic Test series win after 25 years This is only the second time in 25 years that South Africa has won a Test series in India. Before this, it happened in 2000, when under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje, South Africa won 2-0 in Mumbai and Bengaluru. From 2001 to 2024, South Africa played 13 Tests in India, and the team managed to win only 2 of them. India drop down to 5th place, Australia stays atop India’s WTC situation has worsened significantly. The team is now in fifth place in the points table. India has played 9 matches so far in WTC 2025-27. Out of these, they won 4, lost 4, and drew 1. In WTC, 12 points are awarded for winning each match. India has secured only 52 points out of a total of 108. This means India’s points percentage is 48.15%, which puts them behind Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Australia is at number one, winning 4 out of 4 matches. South Africa has reached the second position with 3 wins and one loss out of 4. Sri Lanka is third, and Pakistan is fourth. 7 wins out of 9 Tests are necessary to reach the final India has to play 18 Tests in this WTC cycle. The team has played 9 and 9 Test matches are still remaining. India has 52 points. Looking at the previous WTC cycle, usually, points between 55%-65% are needed to reach the final. This means India will need at least 6 or 7 wins in the remaining 9 Tests. Playing some drawn matches can also benefit India, but if they lose more than 3 matches, the team will be out. India cannot risk losing even one series Mathematically, India is still in the final race. But the loss in Guwahati has made India’s path very difficult. Now, if there’s another poor series, no matter how good the performance is on home ground in the end, it will be very difficult to secure a ticket for the 2027 final. India now has 3 series left in the WTC. After South Africa, the team will play 5 Tests against Australia on home soil in 2027. Meanwhile, there will be 2-Test series each in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. South Africa current champion, India lost the final 2 times The World Test Championship (WTC) was started by the ICC (International Cricket Council) in 2019. In this, 9 teams have to play a 2 to 5-match Test series against 6 teams. Among these, 3 are at home, and 3 series are abroad. After all teams’ matches are over, the final takes place between the teams in the top-2 positions in the points table. India reached the final 2 times in 2021 and 2023, but the team lost the title match against New Zealand and Australia. South Africa played the final in 2025, and the team also became the champion by defeating Australia.