The Indian cricket team with Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja [Source: AFP]India's road to the ICC World Test Championship Final 2027 has received a timely boost after Bangladesh suffered a crushing defeat against Australia in the second Test at Mackay. Australia won by an innings and 51 runs after Bangladesh were dismissed for just 64 and 95, ending what had been a promising campaign for the Tigers with another damaging result.The defeat has not changed the positions on the WTC points table, with Australia still first, South Africa second, New Zealand third, Bangladesh fourth and India fifth. However, Bangladesh's points percentage has fallen from the position it could have occupied after their strong start, while India remain within touching distance of the fourth-placed side.India inch close to the 4th positionIndia currently have 64 points from 10 Tests at a PCT of 53.33, while Bangladesh have 40 points from six matches at 55.56%. The gap between the two sides is therefore only 2.23 percentage points. More importantly, India have eight Tests still to play, giving Shubman Gill's side a huge opportunity to reshape the WTC race. With the race entering its decisive phase, India's qualification equation hinges on winning the remaining matches, particularly against New Zealand and Australia and it would be mandatory without much chance of deviation.The ICC World Test Championship Final 2027 will be played at The Oval in London from June 9 to June 13, 2027. The five-day title decider will bring together the top two teams from the WTC league stage. The competition window ends on April 30, 2027, after which the two highest-ranked teams by Points Percentage will qualify.India vs Bangladesh: Why the Mackay result has strengthened India's chancesBangladesh's 2-0 series victory over Pakistan earlier in the cycle had put them firmly into the WTC conversation. They then stunned Australia in Darwin, making their position even stronger. However, the Mackay defeat has changed the complexion of that race.Bangladesh remain above India on the table, but their PCT is now down to 55.56%. India, meanwhile, are at 53.33% after the updated WTC points table, meaning the difference is extremely small despite India having played four more Tests.Australia, South Africa and New Zealand are all ahead of India, and at least two of those teams must eventually finish below India for the qualification equation to work. That makes India's remaining schedule absolutely decisive.India's remaining WTC fixtures are:Sri Lanka, 2nd Test (Currently Playing) – Colombo, August 23-27, 2026New Zealand, 1st Test – Wellington, November 19-23, 2026New Zealand, 2nd Test – Christchurch, November 27-December 1, 2026Australia, 1st Test – Nagpur, January 21-25, 2027Australia, 2nd Test – Chennai, January 29-February 2, 2027Australia, 3rd Test – Guwahati, February 11-15, 2027Australia, 4th Test – Ranchi, February 19-23, 2027Australia, 5th Test – Ahmedabad, February 27-March 3, 2027India have two Tests in New Zealand followed by five consecutive Tests against Australia, meaning seven of their final eight matches are against teams currently occupying the top three positions in the table.Also Read- All Records Broken By Shoriful Islam In Historic Spell vs AustraliaScenario 1: India win all eight remaining TestsThis is the cleanest possible qualification route. India currently have 64 points from 120 available. Eight victories would add another 96 points, taking them to 160 points from 216 available.That would give India a final PCT of 74.07% which is the maximum possible PCT for the Shubman Gill-led team.A 74.07% finish would take India above the current PCTs of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Of course, those teams still have their own remaining matches, so 74.07% cannot automatically guarantee qualification.But if India win all eight, they will be giving themselves the highest possible PCT while simultaneously taking points away from Australia and New Zealand in head-to-head contests.Scenario 2: India win seven and draw oneSeven wins and one draw would give India:7 wins = 84 points1 draw = 4 pointsExisting points = 64Final points = 152India would then have PCT of 70.37% which is still an extremely competitive finishing mark.A 70.37% PCT would almost certainly keep India alive until the final stages of the cycle, but it would leave them dependent on results elsewhere.The draw would preferably come against Sri Lanka or New Zealand, because India cannot afford to drop too many points against Australia while simultaneously trying to knock the current leaders down the table.Scenario 3: India win six and lose twoThis would produce 136 points from 216 and a PCT value of 62.96%. At 62.96%, India would almost certainly require a major collapse from at least two of the teams above them. This is therefore not a desirable qualification route.India can survive one poor result in the remaining eight matches. Two defeats, however, would make the road to the Oval considerably more difficult.Scenario 4: India win five or fewerThis is where the qualification equation becomes extremely dangerous. For example, five wins and three defeats would give India:60 points from wins64 existing pointsPCT points = 57.41%That would leave India vulnerable to being overtaken by Bangladesh and potentially other teams still capable of producing strong finishes.A five-win finish is therefore unlikely to be enough unless there is a significant collapse elsewhere in the WTC table.India can directly damage Australia and New ZealandIndia's remaining schedule offers something Bangladesh's result cannot, which is direct control over two of the teams currently ahead of them.New Zealand are currently third at 72.22%. India play them twice in November. That series is potentially worth 24 points to the winner. A 2-0 victory would not only give India 24 points; it would also deny New Zealand those points. Then comes the much bigger opportunity.India face Australia five times at home. Australia currently sit first at 80.00%, and they have already built a substantial advantage. But India's five-Test series means the two teams will directly fight over 60 WTC points.That could completely reshape the table. A 5-0 Indian victory would be the dream scenario. A 4-1 win would also represent a massive swing. Even a 3-2 series victory would give India 36 points while Australia would collect only 24, creating a 12-point swing between the two sides.This is why India's Australia series is likely to become the defining contest of their WTC campaign.India's WTC Final qualification scenarioCurrent position: 5thCurrent PCT: 53.33%Current points: 64Tests remaining: 8Maximum possible points: 160Maximum possible final PCT: 74.07%Possible finishes from India's remaining eight Tests:8 wins: 74.07%7 wins + 1 draw: 70.37%7 wins + 1 loss: 68.52%6 wins + 2 draws: 66.67%6 wins + 1 draw + 1 loss: 64.81%6 wins + 2 losses: 62.96%5 wins + 3 losses: 57.41%India's ideal qualification blueprintIf India want to make the qualification equation as simple as possible, the blueprint should be:Beat Sri Lanka 2-0Beat New Zealand 2-0 awayBeat Australia 4-1 or 5-0 at homeAvoid unnecessary draws and defeatsMaintain a clean over-rate record and avoid points deductionsWhy Bangladesh's defeat matters for India?At first glance, Bangladesh's defeat appears insignificant because India have not moved up the standings. However, Bangladesh have now lost match in Australia after beginning the tour with a stunning victory in Darwin. Their PCT has consequently fallen to 55.56%.India is only 2.23 percentage points behind them despite having played four additional matches. That difference can disappear very quickly.If India wins the ongoing Colombo Test, they would move to 76 points from 132 available, giving them a PCT of 57.58%. That would immediately put them above Bangladesh's current 55.56%. Suddenly, India would no longer be chasing Bangladesh and would be looking upwards.Also Read- The Mitchell Starc Rampage: Every Record Broken In AUS vs BAN 2nd Test
