Aakash Chopra also predicted which two teams might play in the WTC final.
Aakash Chopra, former India cricketer, has shared his views on the upcoming two-Test series between India and Sri Lanka and their chances of qualifying for the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final.
India and Sri Lanka will play two Tests, with the first game to be played in Galle from August 15 and the second Test at SSC, Colombo, from August 23.
Both India and Sri Lanka remain in the race for the final of the WTC 2027, and Aakash Chopra stated that the Lankan team will remain in final contention if they do a clean sweep against India in the upcoming Test series.
He highlighted that the Lankan Lions will jump to fourth spot in the WTC points table in such a scenario. The hosts are at 41.67 percentage points and in sixth spot behind Shubman Gill and Co., who are ranked fifth on the WTC points standings with 48.15 percentage points.
Aakash Chopra noted that the winner of the two-match series will improve their chances of reaching the WTC final.
"If we lose 2-0, we will remain at only 39 percentage points, and Sri Lanka will jump to 61 percentage points, and they will be No. 4. Sri Lanka will be in the running if they beat India 2-0. Then they have a realistic chance of going forward, or else it's a so-near-yet-so-far story for them.
If we win this series 2-0, we will reach 57.58 percentage points. If we do a clean sweep, we will gain a little. If we draw the series 1-1, we won't gain anything because we will be at 48.48 and Sri Lanka will be at 44.44, and the positions will remain as is," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
He believed that India's quest for a position in the WTC final would be challenging.
"Going forward, we have a two-match series in New Zealand, where it's difficult to win. Even if you lose one match, you lose 50 percentage points. It's going to be a tough one, and after that, there are five matches against Australia in India. India is in a tough position," Chopra added.
Chopra also stated that he doesn’t see India winning all of their nine remaining Tests. But if the two-time finalists win eight of the nine games, he believes they will remain in the running.
Australia may need to win 10 of their remaining 14 Test matches to maintain their prospects of qualifying for the WTC final, according to Aakash Chopra, who pointed out that they have three difficult series remaining.
"Australia still has 14 matches remaining, which includes two against Bangladesh in Australia. They would win both those, but they play South Africa in South Africa. It's difficult to win that series and almost impossible to win three out of three. They have four Tests against New Zealand in Australia. It will be difficult to win four out of four.
It means they are going to drop a few points. Thereafter, they have five matches against us. To remain competitive, they must win approximately 10 out of 14 matches, which will be a challenging feat. Winning even one or two Tests in India is a big task. It will be difficult for them to win 10 matches," he added.
Chopra then spoke about South Africa and New Zealand and their chances for the WTC final. He stated that South Africa has the best chance of qualifying, as their three remaining series are at home.
"South Africa is not in a bad position. The good thing is that they are playing at home. The bad thing is that two of the three opponents are tough. One is a three-match series against Australia, and the other is a three-match series against England. Getting 100 percent points against them is improbable. It's not easy for South Africa, but since they are playing at home, they have a significant advantage," he stated.
"New Zealand has four series left. Two are at home, and two are away. Both their home series are against Asian teams—Sri Lanka and India. They will have to back themselves in both those series. They have four away matches against Australia—a tough series. They have two away games against Pakistan. Pakistan might make rank turners where you can't play at all, but they (New Zealand) don't lose on rank turners. They are not in a bad position," Chopra added.
England, the West Indies, and Pakistan were ruled out by Aakash Chopra when it comes to qualifying for the WTC final. He predicted that South Africa and New Zealand will play the summit clash.