India suffered a shocking 3-0 Test series defeat at home to New Zealand, with the Black Caps sealing a historic clean sweep with a 25-run win in Mumbai on Sunday.

The defeat means India dropped to second in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with a percentage of 58.33 after 14 matches. Australia is on top with 62.50, followed by Sri Lanka at third 55.56.

India next heads to Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit Sharma’s men will need to win at least four of the five matches there to secure a spot in the WTC Final without relying on other teams’ results.

If it fails to achieve this, India will have to depend on favourable outcomes from other series, particularly those involving the other contenders. Sri Lanka, for example, will play both Australia and South Africa in this WTC cycle, and those results will directly impact India’s chances of reaching its third straight WTC final.

Sri Lanka (55.56 percentage points) 

Following a 2-0 series win over New Zealand at home, Sri Lanka has positioned itself as a contender for the WTC final at Lord’s. Their remaining four matches are against South Africa and Australia, both still in the race as well. Winning all four would place Sri Lanka at 69.23%, guaranteeing qualification. Even with three wins and one loss, they would reach 61.54%, leaving them with a potential pathway to the final, depending on other teams’ outcomes.

Remaining matches:

– 2 Tests vs South Africa (Overseas)

– 2 Tests vs Australia (Home)