India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification chances took a hit after the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo ended in a draw on Thursday. The result left the Shubman Gill-led side in fifth place in the 2025-27 WTC standings.

The draw left India with a points percentage (PCT) of 51.52, with Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh occupying the four spots above them in the table. A win in Colombo would have taken their PCT to 63.33 and moved them up to fourth.

India now have seven Tests left in this WTC cycle. They will play two Tests in New Zealand in November, before returning home for a five-Test series against Australia in January.

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Winning six of those seven would give India 140 points and a PCT of 64.81; winning all seven would give them 152 points and a PCT of 70.37. Even seven wins, though, wouldn’t guarantee India a place in the final, since their position will also depend on how the teams above them perform.

Despite the draw in Colombo, Gill remained optimistic about India’s WTC final qualification. “We are going to New Zealand in November, so that’s a good series for us, and then we’ve got a good home series coming, against Australia. So hopefully if we have a good New Zealand series, as long as we have a chance, we always keep believing, and hopefully we’ll make it to the finals,” he said at the post-match presentation.

India haven’t won a Test in New Zealand on their last two tours, in 2014 and 2020. Their last Test win there came in 2009, when they beat New Zealand in Hamilton and went on to win the series 1-0.

They have lost their last two home series too, against South Africa and New Zealand, by 2-0 and 3-0.

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Australia continue to lead the WTC table with a PCT of 80.00, after beating Bangladesh in the second Test at Mackay. Defending champions South Africa are second with 75.00, while New Zealand are third with 72.22, having lost just one of their six Tests.

Bangladesh are fourth with 55.56, leaving India just below them. The gap is a reminder of why the Colombo draw could prove costly later in the cycle.

Sri Lanka remain sixth, with a PCT of 33.33 after six Tests. They’ll take plenty of confidence from the way they saved the Colombo Test, after being asked to follow on with a deficit of 213 runs.

England are seventh with 29.76, after playing 14 Tests, more than any other side. Their campaign has been hurt by eight defeats and points deductions for slow over-rates.

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West Indies are eighth with 20.83, while Pakistan sit at the bottom with 19.05, after an innings-and-103-run defeat to England at Headingley.

For India, the WTC race is still wide open. But after the missed chance in Colombo, the upcoming series against New Zealand and Australia carry even greater importance now.