World Test Championship: What India’s Galle win means for their road to The Oval | Cricket News

India’s captain Shubman Gill, right, congratulates Manav Suthar, center, as they celebrate their win against Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

India kept their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final at The Oval next year alive with a 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on Wednesday. The victory also helped Shubman Gill’s side make a small move up in the points percentage (PCT).The win came in India’s first Test assignment since their 0-2 home series loss to South Africa in November last year. The rain-affected match went into the fifth day after India had taken control of the contest.India bowled Sri Lanka out to secure their fifth win in 10 Tests in the current WTC cycle. It was their first victory since they beat the West Indies in Ahmedabad last year.India’s PCT increased from 48.14 to 53.33 after the win. However, they remained fifth in the WTC standings, behind Australia (77.77), South Africa (75.00), New Zealand (72.22) and Bangladesh (66.67).Australia continue to lead the table with a PCT of 77.78 despite their recent home defeat to Bangladesh.Sri Lanka remain sixth. Their PCT dropped to 33.33 after they suffered their second defeat in five Tests.India have one more Test left in the Sri Lanka series before travelling to New Zealand for a two-Test series. Their WTC campaign will then end with a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia at home next year.India’s road to WTC finalIf India manage to win all eight remaining Tests, their final points percentage could reach 74.07%, which would put them in an excellent position to finish in the top two.Winning at least six of the remaining eight games would also put Indian team in a very strong position for the WTC Final 2027.

WTC Points Table after IND vs SL, Galle Test