WTC 2025-27: India must rediscover the winning formula at home
Mumbai: South Africa's freakish qualification to the World Test Championship (WTC) final and their subsequent upstaging of Australia at Lord's last week would have awakened team managements across the cricket sphere to the possibility of an unusual way to win the mace: where playing less means more.
On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared the 2025-27 WTC cycle open retaining the prevailing percentage points system designed to minimise the impact of an uneven spread of matches among teams.
Basking in the glory of his newly acquired cult status, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma would acknowledge that retaining the title might be tougher. The Proteas will play 14 Tests instead of 12 with two of their home series, against Australia and England, being three-Test affairs. It could be quite different from ending the cycle with back-to-back two-Test home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
More work for Big Three
Still, 14 Tests are significantly less than what Australia (22), England (21) and India (18) will play. The richest cricket boards have left their teams with an arduous route to success. Only the Big Three nations play a 5-Test series among themselves.
India's transitioning team under a young captain are tasked to begin with the stiffest test possible – a five-Test examination by England. To offset any disadvantage, India must win the home series that follow against West Indies and South Africa. Both being two-Test series, the hosts can ill afford to lose any points. Next year, India's away Tests are also of short duration – two each against Sri Lanka and New Zealand against whom they have an unfavourable record.
To make their third final in four attempts India will need to finish the cycle with a convincing home series win against Australia. Again, this will be a five-Test series, India will require the spin attack to continue its domination. But with R Ashwin having retired and Ravindra Jadeja getting older, will it be as incisive in another 18 months? Australia will be watching.
Set to press the reset button because they are an ageing team, Australia will have to do it the hard way. Their home series includes the marquee Ashes and a four-Test contest against New Zealand. With two difficult away fixtures to India and South Africa, they will look to sweep the two-Test series against Bangladesh at home and West Indies (three Tests) away.
Given their poor away Ashes record, England will look to maximise gains against India. The last time England won a Test in Australia was 15 years ago. Beating New Zealand and Pakistan at home and South Africa away won't be straightforward either. The only soft series they have is a two-Test tour of Bangladesh.
Bazball has certainly reinvigorated interest in Test cricket in England. But this would become a winning formula if England's attacking mindset fetches wins in different conditions.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who opened the new cycle in Galle to a sparse crowd on Tuesday, are playing the least (12 Tests) in this cycle. But Bangladesh do not have the depth to stake a claim to making it to the final. In West Indies (14 Tests) Test cricket is on an equally weak wicket. New Zealand play 16 Tests and like always will find a way to compete.
Pakistan dark horse
The team that has the best chance of doing a South Africa in the new cycle is Pakistan. Two of their three away series are two-Test tours of Bangladesh and West Indies. A three-Test tour of England is their toughest assignment. If they can find the formula to dominate South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka over six home Tests, they can use the schedule of the WTC model to their benefit. But for that to happen, a reboot is necessary. Pakistan finished last among nine teams in the previous cycle.
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