Indian men’s cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir says it is not that the side is eyeing qualification for the WTC 2025 final. Rather, the focus is on the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia, for which the side wants to perform well and win the overseas assignment.
India needs to win at least four of the five Tests against Australia if it has to qualify for the WTC 2025 final, scheduled to be held in June next year at Lord’s. “It is not a priority series,” Gambhir said.
“Honestly, we’re not looking at what’s going to happen in the World Test Championship, whether we are going to qualify or not. Every series is important. You know, when you play for your country, when you represent your country, every series is important, irrespective of what has happened in the past. For us, I think it is two good teams playing against each other. We are absolutely keen to go out there and perform and try to win the series,” Gambhir said at India’s pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Monday, November 11.
India slipped to the No. 2 position in the WTC 2023-25 points table as it lost three successive Tests on its home soil against New Zealand. If India can win at least four Tests against Australia then it automatically seals its place at the top two and guarantees its final. This way it will not need to rely on other teams’ performances.
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India played the WTC final in 2021 and lost it followed by losing in 2023. The team lost both times, firstly New Zealand beat India by 8 wickets in Southampton in 2021 and then in 2023, Australia won from India with a margin of 209 runs at the Oval.