"We are in slight trouble at the moment" - Aakash Chopra on Team India's prospects of reaching the WTC final

Team India are currently playing Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra believes Team India are in a slight spot of bother in their quest to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Virat Kohli's Indian side finished atop the standings in the last WTC cycle although they did come up short against New Zealand in the all-important final. They are currently placed fifth in the WTC points table and have a lot of work to do to make the top two.

Australia move to the top of the WTC table, India remain at number 5.

#WTC #TestCricket #INDvsSL https://t.co/O0Qq4bO6iX

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Team India are in a slightly precarious situation. He observed:

"Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa - they are all above us if you see the World Test Championship points table for this cycle. We are in the fifth spot and New Zealand are sixth, the two finalists of the last cycle. We will win the next Test against Sri Lanka but we are in slight trouble at the moment."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the series results against New Zealand and South Africa have hit the Indian team hard. Aakash Chopra explained:

"This is our fourth series already and none of the other teams have played four till now. All have played between one and three series. We have played a lot, we couldn't win against New Zealand at home, won the series 1-0, one match was drawn, that was a loss. You lost two Tests in South Africa, that was a loss as well."

Team India were expected to whitewash New Zealand in the two-match Test series at home and were also favored to put it across South Africa in the latter's backyard. However, the Kiwis held on for a draw in the Kanpur Test and the Proteas beat India by a 2-1 margin.

"You will have to get 100% points in the home series against Australia" - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra feels the India-Australia series could prove to be the deciding factor

Aakash Chopra believes Team India will have to whitewash Australia at home to stand any chance of making the grade. He elaborated:

"You will have to get 100% points in the four-Test home series against Australia, which means you will have to win all four Tests. If you lose even one match, you will get 75% points and if another gets drawn, it will become even lesser. You cannot have a draw, it cannot rain."

The 44-year-old concluded by reiterating that it will be an uphill task for Rohit Sharma's side. Aakash Chopra said:

"We are 1-0 ahead in the ongoing series. We will win that 2-0, so 100% points. We have to play two Tests in Bangladesh. We have the full expectation of winning, full confidence but we are playing away from home. There is one Test remaining in England. It's not going to be easy."

Team India certainly have their backs against the wall at the moment. Not only will they have to win most of their remaining encounters, but they might also need some of the other results to go in their favor.