India's one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh will not count towards the World Test Championship as Afghanistan are not part of the WTC structure and the fixture is not a multi-match series. India will next return to WTC action in New Zealand.
New Delhi:
The one-off Test between India and Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh will not affect the current standing of the World Test Championship. Even though it is being played during the ongoing 2025-27 championship cycle, the match is considered to be a bilateral affair as Afghanistan is currently not a part of the WTC structure.
Notably, the tournament has traditionally featured only the top nine-ranked Test nations, and Afghanistan are not part of that group. As a result, their bilateral Test matches are not included in the championship race.
On the other hand, the nature of the fixture itself is another factor. WTC contests are played as part of a multi-match series, whereas India and Afghanistan are scheduled to meet in a solitary Test. The match will therefore be treated as a standalone bilateral encounter rather than a championship fixture.
India aim to bounce back
For India, the game arrives during a gap in their WTC commitments. Shubman Gill's side has already completed three championship assignments and currently sits sixth in the table with a points percentage of 48.15. Their campaign began in England, where a five-Test series ended level at 2-2. The team later registered a 2-0 home series victory over the West Indies before running into trouble against South Africa, losing 2-0.
Those results leave India with four wins, four defeats and one draw from nine matches in the current cycle. Now, even though the meeting with Afghanistan will have no effect on that record in championship terms, their reputation is on the line. Since 2024, the side has lost two home series and that has already put them under tremendous pressure.
Their inability to play spin has been one of the biggest highlights and if something like that repeats again, the coaching panel could be brought under the scanner.
When will India feature next in WTC?
Meanwhile, the next WTC challenge on India's schedule is still some distance away. An away tour of New Zealand featuring two Tests will mark their return to the competition in November. After that, attention will turn to a home showdown against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The five-match series is scheduled to begin in Nagpur on January 21, 2027, and will form an important part of India's push in the latter stages of the World Test Championship cycle.
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