IND Vs PAK: The men in the blue side had reached the two finals in a row of the World Test Championship (WTC). India was the finalist of the 2021 and 2023 editions.
But they couldn’t lift the title in both occasions as they lost to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in the 2023 finals played in England.
Now in the current WTC edition, India has made a strong start yet again and they will aim to win the trophy this time.
Rohit and Co won their opening series of the new WTC cycle of 2023 to 2025 against West Indies.
In the two-match red ball series against the Windies, India won the first match and the second game ended in a draw due to the rains.
Pakistan on the other hand had never reached the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) like their arch rivals Team India had done it in two back-to-back seasons.
The men in green side are the first-ranked team in the new cycle. Pakistan won the Test series against Sri Lanka and reached the number-one position in the WTC rankings.
If the teams like India and Pakistan make it to the finals of the new cycle of the World Test Championship then it would be wonderful for the game of cricket.
These two countries haven’t played Test Cricket for years now due to terrorism and political issues. Now IND Vs PAK matches are seen only in Asia Cup in fifty overs and T20I formats, World Cup of the ODI and shortest format and Champions Trophy matches.
India and Pakistan last played a Test match in 2007 and since then these two haven’t played a single red ball game till now.
So if these two nations reach the WTC 2025 final then it would be a great redemption of the traditional format between the greatest arch-rivaling nations of the cricketing world.
After defeating Sri Lanka on their away tour, the number one ranked side will face these teams in the remainder of their games of the World Test Championship 2023 to 2025 cycle –
Pakistan will tour Australia for a three-match red ball series.
They will play a two-match series against Bangladesh at home.
England will also tour Pakistan for a three-match series.
Then the men in the green side will travel to the Proteas Nation, South Africa for a two-match series.
Their 2023 to 2025 cycle will end in the series against West Indies in a two-match red ball series at home.
India defeated the West Indies in a two-match red-ball series when Rohit Sharma and his men toured the Caribbean in July 2023. Now the men in the blue side will have a tough ask of facing these teams in their reminder matches in the World Test Championship 2023 to 2025 cycle –
India will travel to South Africa for a two-match series of the red ball format.
Rohit and Co will face Bazball approach when England arrives in India for five tests.
Bangladesh will come to India for a two-match series of the Test format.
New Zealand will be in India for a three-match series.
India will end their WTC cycle of 2023 to 2025 in Australia with 5 match series of the red ball format.
Pakistan – Like Team India, the men in the green side have also started their new WTC edition with a win. They won the red ball series against Sri Lanka by a margin of 2-0 and they have 24 points to their name.
To make it to 101 points, Pakistan still needs 77 points. They will have to win six to seven red ball games and they can afford to draw two Tests.
Pakistan’s three-match series against England will be very crucial for them. The last time when Ben Stokes and his men toured Pakistan, they won their maiden Test series on the soil of the men in the green side.
Their overseas tours to Australia and South Africa are also challenging. They need to save two out of five matches on these tours to maintain their number-one ranking.
India: The first task of the men in the blue side will be to hold on to their number two position of the WTC 2023 and 2025 rankings. No matter what, team India should not come down from that spot because this is the only chance for them to face Pakistan in the red ball game after a long gap.
India’s next challenge is to win a red ball series where they haven’t won at all. India’s loss in the two-match Test series in Proteas Nation might have an adverse effect on their WTC 2023 to 2025 rankings.
To avoid that Rohit and Co will have to do well in those challenging conditions. Last time in 2021, India won the first test match. But they lost the series after they lost two back-to-back to Test matches in South Africa.
However, India has won two back to back to back series in Australia in 2019 and 2021. Now when they will tour Down Under, their challenge will be to win the red ball series for the third back-to-back time in 2024.
India will also play a series against New Zealand and Bangladesh at home. Those two series will not be a big problem. But the five-match series against England will be the real test for Rohit and his men at home.