ICC World Test Championship: History, Winners, and India's Journey to the Finals

Every two years, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It's the largest event in Test cricket. Up to this point, India has made it to the finals twice but hasn't won yet, always finishing second. In the 2023 final, Australia claimed the champion title by defeating India.

The first WTC began with the Ashes series in 2019 and wrapped up in June 2021. New Zealand beat India to win the trophy. The cricket board of the country hosting handles all the WTC league matches, but the ICC is in charge of putting together the final.

The third World Test Championship began on June 16, 2023, with them competing in the Ashes cricket matches, and it's set to end in the summer of 2025 with a major final happening in England. Australia and South Africa are qualified for the WTC 2025 finals. India remains in the third spot in the WTC points table after losing BGT 2024-25 against Australia.

2019–21 Tournament

The 2019 Ashes series began the very first ICC World Test Championship, but then in March 2020, all plans became ruined because the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing games to stop until July 2020. Several games were delayed and some of the matchs didn't happen at all. After they had to cancel the series between South Africa and Australia, New Zealand was the first to make it to the final, and then India entered as well.

The Rose Bowl in Southampton, England, was where they played the final from June 18 to 23, 2021. New Zealand beat India, taking home the title of the first World Test Championship winner. This happened even though rain spoiled the first and fourth days of the event. They won the match in the last session of the reserved day.

2021–23 Tournament

In August 2021, at the start of the new season, the Pataudi Trophy series kicked off the second swing of the WTC with a match between England and India. The ICC introduced a fresh points system for this cycle. Australia reached the final by winning the third Test of the 2022-23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After Sri Lanka failed to win their first Test against New Zealand, India secured their spot in the final.

The final met between June 7 and 11, 2023, at the Oval in London. Australia won against India by 209 runs and became the WTC champions. It was the second time in a row that India lost in the World Test Championship final.

2023–25 Tournament

The World Test Championship's third round began during the first Ashes Test on June 16, 2023. For the final of the series, the ICC said it will be held at Lord's in England, and that's planned for the summer of 2025.

List of World Test Championship Finals: Results, Captains, and Key Players