It has been two weeks since the masterclass Border Gavaskar Test Series; an age-old matchup between two greats: Australia and India. They met for the 17th series this past summer where Australia looked to reclaim the title after 10 years.
However, there was a much greater goal for these two teams: The World Test Championship 2025. The test championship lasts two full years where 69 matches are played between nine teams ranging 27 series’.
Ahead of the BGT series, South Africa was the country atop the table having won four test series throughout the span of the tournament. They were able to clinch a spot in the finals by beating Pakistan 2-0 in their most recent series in December of 2024.
With One Spot Secured, Who’s Left to Qualify?
It all came down to the five match series between Australia and India. Simply put, the winner of this series would qualify for the test championship. The series started off in Perth, where India claimed a thrilling 295 run victory. All was looking up for India until the Aussie’s took advantage of their home field. Australia came into Adelaide strong, with their bowling order featuring Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins cleaning up India’s batsmen. They ended up winning the second test by 10 wickets. The third match at the Gabba was interesting. Australia came out strong in the first innings, but a masterclass performance by Bumrah kept India in the game, leading to a drawn match.
3 Matches In… Who Takes Over?
As much as India tried to keep up, Australia took over in the last two test matches. The Boxing Day match in Melbourne kept fans on their feet to start, but Steve Smith and Marnus Labuchagne held their ground at the crease to put up a score that India could not match.
In desperation to keep their head in the game, India had to win the last match in Sydney. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong had gone wrong for the Indians. They lost their top order in both innings fairly early, and Australia were able to complete the match with TWO full days to spare.
So there it is, this June we’ll be seeing South Africa and Australia clash for the World Test Championship Trophy at Lords. Can Australia repeat from their last world cup, or will there be a new champion?
