WTC 2025-27: Australia, England Dominate Early Standings; India Eyes Rebound After Setback

WTC 2025-27: Australia and England Lead as India Seeks Recovery

The new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 has commenced with intense competition, as three Test series have already begun to shape the early standings. While Australia and England have taken the lead, India and the West Indies are now focusing on regaining ground.

Australia and England currently hold the top two positions in the WTC table, both with a perfect points percentage of 100 after winning their opening matches. Sri Lanka is in third place after concluding their two-match series against Bangladesh with one win and one draw. Bangladesh is placed fourth with a draw and a loss.

South Africa, New Zealand, and Pakistan are yet to commence their WTC campaigns in this cycle.

Despite an impressive effort at Headingley, India's opening match did not go according to plan. Although the visitors had five centurions in the match, they ended up losing as England successfully chased their target, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

England successfully chased down a target of 371, driven by a strong opening partnership between Ben Duckett (149) and Zak Crawley, while Joe Root and debutant Jamie Smith secured the chase with an undefeated partnership. Shubman Gill's team had to acknowledge a costly middle-order collapse and dropped catches.

Following the match, Gill conceded that India had opportunities but failed to capitalize on them. He mentioned that India had aimed for a larger lead, but a lack of runs from the lower order affected their plans.

India will now concentrate on the second Test at Edgbaston, aiming for a swift comeback to sustain their WTC campaign. Currently, they are positioned near the bottom of the table, alongside the West Indies.

The WTC cycle began on June 17 with Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh and will continue until the final in 2027.