{"id":6695,"date":"2026-05-01T10:52:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/gambhirs-test-worries-mount-as-india-near-wtc-final-exit-icc-twist-offered"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:52:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:52:14","slug":"gambhirs-test-worries-mount-as-india-near-wtc-final-exit-icc-twist-offered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/gambhirs-test-worries-mount-as-india-near-wtc-final-exit-icc-twist-offered","title":{"rendered":"Gambhir\u2019s Test worries mount as India near WTC final exit, ICC twist offered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>India may have lifted the T20 World Cup earlier this year, but when the conversation turns to Tests, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar have plenty to think about. Unless something extraordinary unfolds in the remaining matches versus Sri Lanka and New Zealand later this year, India are virtually out of the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. A defeat to South Africa on home soil last year played a major role in tightening the noose. Yet even with a dip in Test form, the Indian team has received a boost in the newest ICC annual Test rankings released on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n<h2>ICC annual Test rankings: India climb to third<\/h2>\n<p>In the latest annual standings, Australia remain at the summit. India, however, have moved up one place to third, collecting 104 points. In doing so, they have overtaken England, which sits just behind on 102 points.<\/p>\n<p>This upward shift does not come from a sudden surge in India\u2019s Test performances. Instead, the movement is largely linked to England\u2019s uneven displays in the Ashes and their struggles in the Anderson\u2013Tendulkar Trophy last year.<\/p>\n<h2>How the table reshuffled across teams<\/h2>\n<p>England have slipped below India after losing the points weight associated with results prior to April 30, 2023. That period included home victories against both New Zealand and South Africa, along with a 3-0 series win over Pakistan in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>South Africa are placed second in the annual Test rankings.<\/li>\n<li>New Zealand are fifth, while Pakistan are sixth.<\/li>\n<li>Sri Lanka have dropped one spot to seventh.<\/li>\n<li>West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe complete the top 10.<\/li>\n<li>Ireland have slipped out of the rankings after failing to play eight matches during the rating window.<\/li>\n<li>Both Ireland and Afghanistan must play two Tests each over the next year to re-enter the standings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India\u2019s fading WTC hopes and the tough road ahead<\/h2>\n<p>After the two-match Test series against South Africa last year, India slipped to sixth place in the WTC 2025\u201327 cycle. Their final stretch is stacked against three sides: Sri Lanka away, New Zealand away, and Australia at home.<\/p>\n<p>From the nine remaining matches, India need to win at least seven to keep any realistic hope of reaching Lord\u2019s Cricket Ground in London for the WTC final. The challenge appears even steeper because of the required away assignments: India must tackle two separate away series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and both are away from home.<\/p>\n<p>The New Zealand tour will be followed by a home five-match Border\u2013Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Given the recent struggles at home against New Zealand and Australia, a dominant 5-0 sweep against Pat Cummins\u2019 team looks highly unlikely.<\/p>\n<h3>How India started the cycle<\/h3>\n<p>India began the WTC 2025\u201327 campaign with a 2-2 draw versus England in England, before going on to win the two-match series against the West Indies at home.<\/p>\n<h3>Gambhir\u2019s Test journey: what hasn\u2019t changed<\/h3>\n<p>Still, the series whitewash against South Africa altered the trajectory for Gambhir\u2019s India. Under his leadership, India also missed out on the previous WTC final, suffering defeats at home to New Zealand and away to Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India may have lifted the T20 World Cup earlier this year, but when the conversation turns to Tests, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar have plenty&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Gambhir\u2019s WTC Exit Worries as India Face SL, NZ in Tests","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"India\u2019s WTC final hopes fade as Gambhir\u2019s Test concerns grow\u2014SL and NZ series could decide the fate, with an ICC twist still in play.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin 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