Bangladesh leapfrog India in WTC

Bangladesh moved above India in the ICC World Test Championship standings on May 20 after completing a 2-0 home sweep of Pakistan with a 78-run win in Sylhet. The result lifted Bangladesh to fifth place in the 2025-27 table, while India dropped to sixth without playing this week. (icc-cricket.com) Pakistan fell to eighth after the series defeat. The ICC said Bangladesh sealed the series during the morning session on the final day by taking Pakistan’s last three wickets. ### How did Bangladesh move past India without India playing? Bangladesh’s second win of the series changed the percentage-based standings used in the World Test Championship. (icc-cricket.com) The ICC said Bangladesh now sit fifth after the Sylhet victory, ahead of India in sixth. The Hindu and Zee News reported Bangladesh now have 58.33 percentage points from four Tests, with two wins, one loss and one draw. India are on 48.15 from nine Tests, with four wins, four defeats and one draw. ### What exactly happened in Sylhet? (icc-cricket.com) Sylhet was the site of Bangladesh’s series-clinching win by 78 runs over Pakistan on May 20. The ICC said Bangladesh wrapped up the match in the morning session of the fifth day after removing Pakistan’s final three batters. Sportstar reported the sweep followed Bangladesh’s 104-run win in the first Test in Mirpur. (icc-cricket.com) That gave Bangladesh a 2-0 result in the series and produced what several Indian outlets described as a historic home triumph over Pakistan. (zeenews.india.com) ### Where do the standings stand now? Australia remained top of the WTC table on May 20 with 87.50 percentage points, according to The Hindu. New Zealand were second on 77.78, followed by South Africa and Sri Lanka, with Bangladesh fifth and India sixth. (icc-cricket.com) Pakistan dropped to eighth after the sweep, according to the ICC standings page and reports from Indian outlets. The reordering left Bangladesh ahead of India among the Asian sides immediately below Sri Lanka. ### Why is India stuck in sixth for now? (sportstar.thehindu.com) India have not played a Test yet in 2026, according to Zee News and Sportstar. That has left their points percentage unchanged while other teams in the cycle have added matches and moved around them. Sportstar reported India’s next scheduled red-ball match is a one-off Test against Afghanistan starting June 6, but that game is not part of the World Test Championship cycle. (thehindu.com) That means India’s standing will not change through that fixture. (icc-cricket.com) ### What comes next for Bangladesh and India in the WTC race? Bangladesh’s next assignment in the WTC cycle is a two-Test tour of Australia, the ICC said in a separate report on the series win. The same report said Bangladesh will also travel to South Africa later in the cycle. (zeenews.india.com) India are due to play two-Test series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand later this year, Sportstar reported. Those matches are the next listed WTC opportunities for India after the non-WTC Afghanistan Test beginning on June 6. (icc-cricket.com) (sportstar.thehindu.com)