The 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) Final is upon us as South Africa and Australia gear up to lock horns against one another at the iconic Lord’s, London, starting June 11, 2025. The Proteas, under the captaincy of Temba Bavuma, topped the charts with 69.44 percentage points while the defending champions gained 67.54 percentage points without even losing a series. 

The two-year cycle has seen a plethora of scintillating matches between numerous oppositions, with some of the arch-rival nations fueling the contests to a greater extent. It doesn’t happen without noticeable performances from the cricketers, who are the heart and soul of this entire game. There have been numerous batting performances that have often left the spectators in awe. Although it’s a tough job to filter out the best, we at Cricket Winner have analysed to the best of our ability and came up with the top five knocks in the WTC 2023-25 cycle.

Ollie Pope’s 196 vs India in Hyderabad

England’s tour to India in the early 2024 edition was worth the hype as the Men in Blue looked to face off against an England unit that changed the style of Test cricket. The focus was on Bazball’s domination in world cricket, with the Indian subcontinent being one of the dynasties left unconquered. Although the English revolution under the coach-captain duo of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes failed in one of their toughest challenges, Ollie Pope’s 196 in the first Test in Hyderabad gave the visitors an upper hand at the start of the five-match series.

Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, England's batting order felt the heat produced by Jasprit Bumrah and the spin triumvirate of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, folding for 246 runs. In reply, India earned a 174-run lead on the back of eighties from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Jadeja. Despite being on the back foot halfway through the innings, Ollie Pope showcased what he is capable of with the willow. 

Stepping foot in unfamiliar territory, the right-handed batter smashed 196 runs off 278 balls in the third innings of the match. To be able to battle the Indian spinners at their home is an uphill task. But Pope proved why he is rated so highly in England. All it took was a special smearing yorker from Bumrah to rattle his stumps, leaving four runs shy of a double century. Without an iota of doubt, this had to be Pope’s best innings away from home. His 196 led the foundation for a 28-run victory, albeit England failed to capitalise on the start, losing the series 4-1.

Also Read: 'If we win it...' - Former Proteas star reveal what Test championship glory would mean for South Africa

Marnus Labuschagne’s 111 vs England in Manchester

Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne didn’t quite have a great start to the year 2023. He was left out of Australia’s Cricket World Cup squad, only to return as a replacement to injured Ashton Agar and play a pivotal role in the final against India. Previously, he was also under the radar after a series of poor outings with the bat in the Ashes. 

For someone who followed Marnus’ career graph, he is known to silence the doubters with his performances whenever required. This is exactly what happened during the fourth Test of the Ashes at Old Trafford, Manchester.

After securing a fifty with Mitchell Marsh and propelling Australia to 317 in the first innings, Zak Crawley’s 189 and England’s middle-order prowess left the visitors trailing by 275 runs. This was when Labuschagne stood tall after the visitors lost the wickets of Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Travis Head in quick time. On a start-stop fourth day due to incessant showers, Labuschagne’s grit was on full display. He was scratchy at the start but ensured to overcome adversity and stand tall with 111 runs off 173 balls with ten fours and a couple of sixes. Although the match ended in a draw, Labuschagne played one of his best knocks in an away Ashes under difficult conditions, rubbishing the critics.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 161 vs Australia in Perth

India stepped onto the Australian shores on the back of a record whitewash at home by a New Zealand blended with youth and experience. With their World Test Championship chances jeopardised and captain Rohit Sharma absent due to paternal leave for the opening Test, they needed someone to stand up with the bat in Perth. Known for its pace and steep bounce, the venue is known to be one of the graveyards for the batters, who often test their skills and mental ability. 

Stepping foot for the first time as a capped cricketer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, bounced back in the second innings in his trademark style. Known for his hunger for runs, Jaiswal went on to notch up his maiden century down under, scoring 161 off 297 balls. He was well accompanied by KL Rahul’s 77 and Virat Kohli’s unbridled century, setting up India’s 295-run victory to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Harry Brook’s 171 in Christchurch

Arriving on the shores of New Zealand for a three-match Test series, England were oozing in confidence as BazBall yielded positive results across conditions. What looked like a tough test at the start turned out to be a cakewalk for the Three Lions as the Kiwis could only win the dead rubber. However, the convincing series triumph was set up by an extraordinary display of batting from Harry Brook.

Touted as the next big thing from English cricket, Brook arrived at the crease when the team was reeling at 45/3 in their first innings. Trailing by 303 runs, England incurred another setback when a well-set Ben Duckett departed for 46. Under gloomy conditions, strong breeze, and the ball laterally moving, Brook held his fort with grit. After a tough phase of play that saw him get two catching reprieves, Brook converted his steady fifty into a century, and went on to muster 171 runs off 197 balls. Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes’ fifties assisted his well-tailored knock that helped England reach 499 runs, setting up a comprehensive win by eight wickets. 

Before this, Brook was well-known for his heroics at home. But the New Zealand tour saw the first of the young bloke dominate a SINA (South Africa, India, New Zealand, and Australia as a whole) opposition.

KL Rahul’s 101 vs South Africa in Centurion

Not many cricketers get to create history by racking up a Boxing Day century. The day after Christmas is also renowned as the start of the Boxing Day Tests in Australia, South Africa, and a few other nations. It marks a special occasion where, back in old school cricket, rich guests used to offer gifts to the middle and lower-middle class. Although it has little to do with the Test cricket matches now, the tradition has often led to a jam-packed crowd and unreal anticipation for the game. This is when Rahul’s 101 under adverse conditions at Centurion came up for India in 2023.

Trying to make a mark in the first of the two-match Test series, India lost their top three early in the innings before Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s brief stay was put to rest by Kagiso Rabada. With India 121/6 in the second session, Rahul took his time to settle but didn’t hesitate to punish the looseners. Playing with the lower order, he quickly moved to fifty under overcast conditions. 

Donning his new role as a make-shift wicketkeeper and batting at No. 6, clarity was written across his face while playing the strokes against the viscous Proteas bowlers at their den. Following Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah’s departures, he forged a 47-run ninth-wicket partnership with Mohammed Siraj, where the latter contributed only five runs. Soon after, the Karnataka star switched gears and smoked a few boundaries to push the opposition on the back, and get to his second Test century at the venue. 

Although Nandre Burger knocked his stumps in the 68th over, Rahul’s 101 was a testament to the orthodox batting skills, grit, and game awareness that the red-ball format demands. Though India were doused by Dean Elgar’s batting brilliance in the match, Rahul’s 101 as the lone warrior of the team deserved applause from the cricket pundits and the fans.

Honourable mention: Nitish Kumar Reddy’s 114 vs Australia at the MCG in 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy.