ICC World Test Championship: Where did India falter in the 2023-25 cycle?

The WTC Final has found the top two teams for the third edition of the marquee event in Australia and South Africa. The 2025 WTC Final marks the first time India will be absent from the contest since the ICC introduced the Test Championship in 2021. While India is yet to claim the Test mace, the team had ensured successive final appearances until this recent setback. Australia edged past India in the qualification race by clinching a 3-1 victory in the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy. While the BGT has emerged as a sore point for India, many elements the team faced over the course of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle culminated in the unflattering performance down under.

India in the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship Cycle

India played 19 matches in the WTC 2023-25 cycle, the second-most number of Tests played, behind England's 22 matches. However, Australia still has another series scheduled in this ongoing cycle, a two-match contest against Sri Lanka away from home. These two matches will bring Australia on par with India in terms of matches played during the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle. India won 9 matches, lost 8, and drew 2 in this cycle. However, the conclusive phase was particularly disappointing, where they faced six of their eight defeats.

This cycle saw significant transitions within the Indian team. The side onboarded Gautam Gambhir as head coach, replacing Rahul Dravid following India's 4-1 victory against England at home. However, Gambhir's tenure has not yet borne fruits worth praising. Under his watch, India saw their long-standing records crumble at the hands of New Zealand and Australia. On a positive note, though, India found a reliable opening prospect in Yashasvi Jaiswal, who headlined the season for them.

The cycle began on July 12, 2023, with India facing the West Indies in a two-match Test series away from home. It started with a commanding performance for India in the first Test against the Caribbeans. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a debut ton to kick off his Test career in style. Moreover, a century by skipper Rohit Sharma in the same match signaled the start of another promising cycle for India. However, as the season unfolded, the loopholes in the Indian lineup became apparent. While the cycle began with strong batting displays, it was the collective failure of the batting order that eventually cost them a spot in the WTC Final.

The sorry tale of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle

The forms of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have emerged as the most significant issues in India's performance over the last year. Kohli, once capable of single-handedly winning matches, remained in search of form throughout the cycle. The former Indian skipper managed just 751 runs at an average of 32.65 in the 14 matches he played during this WTC cycle. Furthermore, Kohli's career average dropped below the 50.00 mark, a number he had proudly boasted for years.

Kohli, once in the running to accumulate the highest number of tons in the format, managed only two centuries during this cycle. The first came against the West Indies in the series opener, and the second in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India's last assignment of the cycle. The BGT was especially disappointing for Virat Kohli, as he averaged a dismal 23.75 despite notching his 81st career ton in the Perth Test.

The story was eerily similar for skipper Rohit Sharma. While he scored three centuries, his poor form in the latter stages of the cycle made him one of the most underwhelming elements in India's batting lineup. Since the cycle resumed with the home series against Bangladesh, Sharma managed just one half-century. The BGT marked his ultimate downfall, as the skipper scored only 31 runs across three matches before sitting out the Sydney Test.

A collective batting-order failure and an unsettled pace department: All that went wrong for India

With India's stalwarts out of form, no other batter consistently stepped up for the team. Yashasvi Jaiswal, with 1,789 runs in 19 matches at an average of 52.85, was India's highest run-scorer in the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Beyond him, however, the Indian batting lineup tells a sad tale. Shubman Gill, touted as India's next big star, faltered significantly in away Tests. The 25-year-old, who debuted in 2020, has yet to score a half-century in overseas conditions since his heroic knock of 91 in the 2021 Gabba Test.

Another significant reason for India's struggles in this WTC cycle was the unsettlement in the pace department. Only Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj remained central to India's plans, as Mohammed Shami was sidelined due to an ankle injury. Beyond Bumrah and Siraj, India tested Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana in the lineup but failed to settle on a reliable third option.

Heading into the New Zealand series, India seemed like strong contenders for the 2025 WTC Final. However, a shocking 0-3 series defeat, which marked India's first-ever whitewash at home, derailed their campaign. Moreover, the Border Gavaskar Trophy, where India lost their decade-long streak of retaining the trophy, served as a summary of all the elements that conspired to cause the team's downfall in this WTC cycle.