Former India head coach Rahul Dravid believes the Shubman Gill-led side has fallen behind a bit in the race for World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final. But, Dravid is not willing to write off the two-time WTC finalists after the win in Galle. He believes India will face a big challenge in New Zealand especially in the absence of retired players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.
"(Playing against) New Zealand away, (is) always a challenge. (They are a) tough team, New Zealand, to play away from home. A lot of the young Indian boys have not played in those conditions, so that's going to be a big challenge," Dravid told JioStar.
"Hopefully, they can keep the guys fit and not have a lot of injuries over the next few months. We're missing the experience of Virat and Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara, these kinds of guys who've probably been there the last time India went. So that will be an interesting series as well," Dravid added.
The transition since India’s batting quartet left
India seem to have found Pujara’s replacement with Devdutt Padikkal smashing back-to-back centuries at no.3. Playing as injured Sai Sudharsan’s replacement, Padikkal has almost cemented his spot in the playing XI for New Zealand tour as well. At no.4, skipper Shubman Gill in playing Virat Kohli’s place. Since Rohit Sharma’s retirement, KL Rahul has done well as opener. Also, in the middle order, Rishabh Pant has returned to form with his unorthodox shots whereas Dhruv Jurel proved his mettle with a century at no.7.
But, Padikkal, Gill, Rahul and Jurel are yet to play a Test on New Zealand soil. Pant played two Tests in New Zealand in 2020, scoring just 60 runs from four innings.
Where are India in WTC Points Table?
India are currently placed fifth on the points table. If they win the Colombo Test, they will climb to the fourth position, surpassing Bangladesh. Flying to New Zealand, India will have a win percentage of 57.57. New Zealand are placed third with 72.22 win percentage.
After the New Zealand Test series, India’s last series in the ongoing WTC cycle will be at home. India will host Australia for Border-Gavaskar Trophy next year.