Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged the Indian team to put the World Test Championship (WTC) qualification race aside and focus entirely on the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. With India’s WTC 2025-27 campaign already under pressure, Ashwin believes the players must concentrate on the immediate challenge rather than worrying about the 2027 final. 

India reached the first two WTC finals in 2021 and 2023 but failed to qualify for the 2025 final. Their current campaign has also suffered a major setback following a 2-0 home series defeat against South Africa, leaving them with little room for error in the remaining matches.

After the Sri Lanka series, India is scheduled to tour New Zealand for three Tests before hosting Australia for a five-Test series. They are likely to need around six or seven wins from those 10 matches to remain in contention for a place in the WTC final. However, Ashwin believes calculating the qualification equation should not be India’s priority right now. Instead, he wants the players to focus on winning the next session and building momentum throughout the series.

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“I’m sure the dressing room will talk about WTC. But if I were there, my thinking would be — forget WTC, that’s too far away,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.

The former spinner believes the Sri Lanka series should be treated as an opportunity for India to rebuild confidence after a difficult period in Test cricket. He stressed the importance of focusing on one day, one session, one hour, and eventually one ball at a time.

Ashwin also highlighted the psychological importance of staying in the present. According to him, players can learn from the past and plan for the future, but success depends on concentrating fully on the moment.

“Staying in the present is very difficult,” Ravichandran Ashwin explained, adding that remaining focused on the current situation gives players a better chance of performing well.

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For India, the message is straightforward. Instead of allowing WTC calculations to create additional pressure, the team must focus on executing its plans against Sri Lanka. A strong series could provide both valuable points and much-needed momentum before the challenging assignments against New Zealand and Australia.

Ashwin’s advice ultimately centres on one principle: India must win the present before they can start thinking seriously about the future.