Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Australia aren’t strong contenders to qualify for the 2027 World Test Championship (WTC) final. He also added that the 2023 WTC champions are likely to lose a lot of points in their away series against India as well. However, Australia are currently placed atop the WTC points table after a 3-0 win in the away series against the West Indies.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Their home series are against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh. They will 100 percent win against Bangladesh. They should win against New Zealand. They should win against England as well. However, it’s a five-match series, so they are unlikely to get full points.”

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“I feel they will leave India after losing to them. They might win just one match. If they win only one match, they will lose a lot of points. They can win all matches in the West Indies (which they have already done). However, South Africa will challenge them again. So it is not that straightforward. Looking at the draw, it doesn’t seem that easy to me. Decent chance, but I won’t say strong contenders,” he further added.

However, Aakash Chopra also stated that South Africa have limited chances of reaching the 2027 WTC final.

“Australia, England and Bangladesh are South Africa’s home series. Australia and England are tough, and they will beat Bangladesh. The away series are against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. South Africa have less chances. They are the defending champions at the moment, but it’s tough. All three of their away series are in the subcontinent. They will find it difficult to even draw all three of those series. South Africa, in my opinion, might not qualify. There is a good chance of them not qualifying,” Aakash Chopra concluded.