IND vs ENG: "WTC Final Should Be A Test Series.."- Ravichandran Ashwin

India has qualified for the World Test Championship Finals two consecutive times and they have failed to win it both times. Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin has proposed the idea to turn the WTC finals into a three-match series as a single Test match has a lot of fine margins and it should not decide the champion Team. A series will allow the team to make a comeback if they lose the first encounter.

Ravichandran Ashwin was not included in the Playing XI of the WTC Finals in 2023 when India faced Australia at the Kennington Oval in London. The decision heavily backfired on India as spinners were getting a bit of help in the finals. The toss also played a huge part as skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first on a sunny day which just looked overcast in the beginning.

“Yes, we lost two WTC finals, I accept it wholeheartedly. But in the case of a Test series, a comeback is always possible. We played New Zealand in England, then we played Australia in England; we lost both. But was there a chance of comeback if we played two more Tests?” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

India lost two consecutive WTC finals in 2021 and 2023 against New Zealand and Australia respectively. In 2021, they were unlucky with the conditions but in 2023 they were simply outplayed by the Australians in London where Steve Smith and Travis Head took the game away from them in the first innings itself. “It’s just fine margins. So, should the WTC final be played as a series? Is there a window available for it? The ICC should decide that,” Ashwin said.

India Is Aiming For Another WTC Final In The 2023-2025 Cycle

India is currently placed second in the WTC points table, they slumped to sixth after the first Test defeat against South Africa in Centurion. However, they made a surreal comeback in the Cape Town Test to regain their top spot. India was dethroned from their top position by defending champions Australia who whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 at their home.

The defending WTC winners have started well in the 2023-2025 cycle. They first drew the Ashes series in England and have now dominated Pakistan in their home venue. Later in 2024, Australia will also host India in the Border Gavaskar trophy for a 5-match Test series. The Indian team on the other hand also had a terrific start to the WTC 2023-2025 cycle. They won the away series against West Indies by 1-0 and drew their 2-match series against South Africa. They will now host England in a five-match Test series starting from January 25.

India has already been to two away series in this WTC cycle. They will now host England, Bangladesh, and New Zealand at home and will tour Australia at the end of the year for the Border Gavaskar trophy. The Indian team is aiming for a third WTC finals and this time they want to win the championship for the first time since the inauguration of the championship.