Why IND Vs AFG Test Is Not Part Of The WTC 2025-27 Cycle?

India will return to Test cricket action when they face off against Afghanistan in the one-off Test at Mullanpur. While India have fielded a full strength side, the match will not be part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. As a result, neither team will earn WTC points from the match despite it carrying official Test status.

A game against Afghanistan at home would have been a great opportunity for Shubman Gill & Co to add some World Test Championship points to their kitty. The Men in Blue lost 2-0 to South Africa and are in danger of missing out on a spot in the WTC 2025-27 Final.

One of the main reasons for the exclusion is that Afghanistan is not among the nine teams competing in the current WTC cycle. The 2025-27 edition features only top 9 test playing natons - India, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the West Indies.

Although Afghanistan is a Full Member nation with Test status, it remains outside the championship structure alongside Ireland and Zimbabwe. Therefore, any Test involving Afghanistan is classified as a bilateral fixture rather than a WTC match.

Also, the India-Afghanistan contest is a standalone Test match. As per WTC rules, any series to be under consideration should be played as part of a series containing at least two Tests. Since the upcoming clash is a one-off encounter, it does not qualify for WTC points even if both teams were participants in the competition.