India vs Afghanistan Test: Why India's innings-and-300-run win did not affect WTC standings

India registered a commanding innings-and-300-run victory over Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Mullanpur, with Shubman Gill's side dominating the visitors throughout the match.

After posting a massive first-innings total of 564, India bowled Afghanistan out for 152 and 112 in their two innings to seal the comprehensive win. Debutant Manav Suthar played a key role with the ball, finishing with seven wickets in the match.

India pile up 564 after centuries from Rahul and Gill

Opting to bat first, India amassed 564 before declaring their innings. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill scored centuries, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant contributed 81 runs each.


Afghanistan struggled in response and were dismissed for 152 in their first innings. Asked to follow on, the visitors fared even worse in the second innings, managing only 112 runs before being bowled out.

Why the win did not affect the WTC standings

Despite the emphatic victory, India's position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings remains unchanged.

The WTC cycle features only nine full-member teams: Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies. Although Afghanistan holds Test status, it is not part of the current WTC cycle because of its limited red-ball schedule.

WTC points are awarded only for designated series involving the nine participating teams. As the one-off Test against Afghanistan was a bilateral fixture outside the WTC framework, the result had no impact on the championship standings.

India's WTC record remains unchanged at nine matches, comprising four wins, four losses and one draw, with 52 points and a points percentage of 48.15.

WTC 2025-27 points table

Rank	Team	Matches (M)	Points (PTS)	PCT
1	Australia	8	84	87.50%
2	South Africa	4	36	75.00%
3	Sri Lanka	2	16	66.67%
4	New Zealand	4	28	58.33%
5	Bangladesh	4	28	58.33%
6	India	9	52	48.15%
7	England	11	38	37.88%
8	Pakistan	4	4	8.33%
9	West Indies	8	4	4.17%

India’s next WTC assignment

India's next World Test Championship fixtures will be a two-match away series against Sri Lanka in August.

The team will then travel to New Zealand for another two-Test series in November 2026, with both assignments expected to play an important role in improving India's position in the standings.