Why is the IND-AFG Test not part of WTC 2025-27 cycle? Explained

India (IND) are all set to host Afghanistan (AFG) in the one-off Test of the upcoming tour at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, which will kick off on Saturday, June 06. While the majority of the Tests played between June 2025 and June 2027 are a part of the World Test Championship cycle for the said period, this encounter is out of the purview of the WTC leg.

The game will not be counted as part of the World Test Championship, since Afghanistan is not a participating nation in the ICC-organised event, played over the course of two years, which first kicked off in 2019. Traditionally, the International Cricket Council has kept only the top nine ranked teams in the WTC cycle, and since the Afghans aren't among the top nine Test teams as per the official rankings, they are not eligible to take part in the multi-team bi-seasonal event.

Moreover, the ICC has also mandated that all the series played under a WTC cycle should contain at least a couple of matches. The upcoming Test match, on the contrary, is the solitary game to be played, making it count as a standard bilateral match between India and Afghanistan.

India started their 2025-27 cycle of the WTC with a five-match series against England, drawing it 2-2 in the United Kingdom. Since then, the Shubman Gill-led side has also played series against the West Indies (won 2-0) and South Africa (lost 0-2) at home. With a total of nine matches played thus far, the Indians have lost four matches while winning as many. One match was drawn during the England series.

Since the Test against Afghans is not a part of the WTC cycle, there will be no change in their current standings on the WTC table. It is noteworthy to mention that the Indians find themselves at the sixth position with a points' percentage (PCT) of 48.15.

India's next assignment in the red-ball format for the WTC cycle will be played almost five months from now, as they will play a couple of Test matches against New Zealand in an away fixture. They will then come back home to host Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2027, commencing on January 21 with the first match in Nagpur. This will be a five-match series.