India head coach Gautam Gambhir remains highly optimistic about qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The Shubman Gill-led side faces a demanding path to the final after enduring four losses earlier in the 2025-2027 cycle, including a difficult transition phase following the Test retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin
India have nine Tests remaining in the ongoing WTC cycle. They will tour Sri Lanka (August 2026) and New Zealand (October 2026) for two Tests coach, before hosting Australia in a five-Test series in January-February 2027.
Currently holding sixth spot in the standings with just 48.15 PCT%, India have to win at least seven of the remaining nine matches to qualify for the WTC final.
Addressing the media on the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, Gambhir stressed the young side's belief will shape the WTC qualification push.
"Very optimistic. We are always optimistic. Till you have the chance to qualify for the final, we are always optimistic. We know the kind of talent we have. I don't think there is any reason not to believe that we can't win the World Test Championship. That is not just me, but everyone in the dressing room believes. We can have one-odd bad series here and there, but we know the kind of talent and how much hunger we have in the dressing room," Gambhir told reporters.
While the solitary Test against Afghanistan is not part of the ongoing WTC cycle, Gambhir made it clear that the team would field a full-strength side to ensure continuity.
"Again, a Test match is a Test match. I know people can say this is not part of the World Test Championship cycle, but for me it's still a Test match that we need to go out and win for the country," the coach stated.
"You don't differentiate between Test matches, whether they're part of the World Test Championship or not. That's one of the reasons why we're going to try and play our full-strength side even in this Test match."
Gambhir emphasized that the team remains in a transition phase, insisting the issues surrounding player availability, whether due to injuries or workload management, would not derail India's push for a place in the WTC final.
"It's been only nine Test matches. We were brilliant in England and then we won against West Indies. So when people talk about transition, the actual transition happened after England," Gambhir said.
"If after nine Test matches people feel it's been a long road, I don't agree with that. We all know how well this young team played in England. Then we won against the West Indies. We had two Test matches against South Africa, and yes, that hurt.
"But that's what transition is going to be like. The consistency may not always be there because these are young boys. Most of them have played fewer than 30 Test matches, which is still not a lot of experience," he further remarked.
"For me, I don't look at it negatively. Even if we haven't always had our first-choice XI, I think we've got enough talent to turn it around.
"I'm very hopeful that we will give ourselves the best possible chance of winning the World Test Championship," he concluded.
