 "The Indian team trains at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the build-up to the first Test against Bangladesh at the same venue starting 19 September. Image credit: X/@BCCI")
Rohit Sharma-led India are once again hot favourites to qualify for the World Test Championship final, which is slated to be played at Lord’s from June 11, 2025 .
India, who have lost the previous two editions of the WTC finals, are currently top of the points table with home matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand to come, starting from September 19.
After that, India will travel to Australia, who are currently in second position, and play a five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series, which will most likely decide the finalists or the order at the top two for the third final.
Before India make the journey Down Under, Australia have an away trip of two Tests in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka can prove to be decisive in this race for the final. After beating England in the third Test , yet losing the series 1-2 , they have a big chance to give it a shot.
Sri Lanka can push to the top two spots if they win their two home series against New Zealand and Australia. The Dhananjaya de Silva-led team have an away series to follow against South Africa.
New Zealand, the WTC champions in the first edition, are currently third in the standings. They will be playing eight WTC matches in the next two-and-half months. Out of those eight, five will come in the sub-continent against Sri Lanka and India, respectively.
World Test Championship 2023-25 standings
| Position | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Point deductions | Points | Points percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 74 | 68.52 |
| 2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 90 | 62.50 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 50 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 45.83 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 42.86 |
| 6 | England | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 81 | 42.19 |
| 7 | South Africa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 38.89 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 19.05 |
| 9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 18.52 |