Top 5 captains of World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC), a two-year-long cycle of test cricket, was introduced in 2019 to guarantee relevance to the deteriorating health of the format. Its purpose, moreover, was also to bring relevance to the bilateral test cricket series by offering points for every match won. With nine top teams competing against each other across six series, 3 home and 3 away, it bridged the gap between the big three (Australia, India, and England) and the rest of the full member nations. Its third tournament cycle recently came to a fitting culmination, where the top two teams of the term locked horns in a one-off title decider. South Africa defeated the defending champions, Australia, against all the odds, in an intriguing finale at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, London, United Kingdom.

Having entered the final as the underdogs, though finishing at first in the points table, the Proteas were against the grit and dogged might of the Aussies. For most parts of the match, the former were behind their opponent. Conceding a first innings lead of 74 runs and being set an uphill fourth innings target of 282 to chase by the Australians, the South African team displayed immense resolve, fight, determination, and character. Down and out with their backs against the wall, the side from the rainbow nation made a mockery of the target and crossed the finishing line at last. This finally ended their 27-year wait for a senior men's ICC title, having been on the other side since 1998, while enduring profound grief, pain, silence, and unimaginable heartbreaks. Their elegant opener, Aiden Markram, produced a scintillating, player-of-the-match performance of 136 runs and anchored the chase with great support from his fellow batters.

At the heart of winning championships is usually the skipper of a team, who not only leads his/her troops from the front but also walks the talk in setting up visionary goals, and creating a conducive and inclusive culture for all. Besides his primary role of batting or bowling, a captain has to be accountable for the whole group and is the face of the team. In this context, the victorious Proteas skipper, Temba Bavuma, brings with him inspirational tales from his cricketing journey so far. Having battled racism, body-shaming, and doubters, he shut them all down with his leadership wits and batting prowess. Producing a masterclass in captaincy in this WTC cycle, Temba chartered his legacy and eventually became the owner of a few records as well. However, it is not just about him, but rather captains in general and then the top five of them in the 2023-25 period (in an array of win percentages). 

See Also: Dale Steyn emotional reaction after South Africa's WTC final win

SKIPPER	COUNTRY	TOTAL MATCHES	MATCHES WON	WIN PERCENTAGE
TEMBA BAVUMA	SOUTH AFRICA	8	7	87.50
PAT CUMMINS	AUSTRALIA	16	9	56.25
BEN STOKES	ENGLAND	17	9	52.94
DHANANJAYA DE SILVA	SRI LANKA	12	6	50
ROHIT SHARMA	INDIA	17	8	47.05

Temba Bavuma

The 35-year-old test skipper of the South African team is inarguably the most successful captain in the 2023-25 cycle. The newly crowned WTC winners have had a terrific and memorable run under him. He led them to their elusive ICC title, ending a 27-year wait for a major trophy. In this period, Bavuma led his nation in eight matches, winning an astonishing seven and drawing the remaining one against the West Indies. His unbeaten record was a testament to the Proteas side lifting the Test Mace at Lord's. Moreover, he has been on a roll, claiming the most wins (9) in the first ten tests as captain. His clinical captaincy duties complemented his batting, too, as he finished the cycle with the second-best average (59.25 in 13 innings). Temba remained unbroken, unconquered, and undefeated this term. 

Pat Cummins

The Australian captain finished this WTC cycle with nine wins in sixteen matches. This included a memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series 2024-25 win over India, played down under. The 32-year-old's formidable Aussie side entered the 2023-25 final against South Africa not only as the second-placed team in the points tally, but also as the defending champions. In June 2023, they had defeated India in the final at the Oval, London. Pat's captaincy has always been path-breaking. Being a fast bowler skipper is not everyone's cup of tea, but Cummins took 80 wickets in this phase, the most by any player. 

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the captain of the English red-ball team and one of the greatest all-rounders in the game of cricket, is at the helm of the format. Quite vocal about it, he has been a driving force towards its sustainability, like a true servant. The legendary player is proving to be one of the most dominating skippers for his national side. England usually plays the maximum number of tests among all the teams. In the 2023-25 WTC cycle, Stokes led the 'Three Lions' to nine victories in seventeen test matches but lost seven of them as well. Under him, England were part of some spine-tingling and thrilling wins. They won series in Pakistan and New Zealand. Despite initially trailing 0-2 at home, his side came back to level the Ashes series against their arch-rivals, Australia, in a sensational fashion in 2023. England finished fifth in the points table and failed to occupy either of the top two spots available for the third term in a row. 

Dhananjaya De Silva

Sri Lanka's fantastic captain brought his island nation ever closer to entering the WTC final, the first time in its three editions. The batting all-rounder, who bowls off-spin, led his proud cricketing nation in twelve test matches. Under him, the Lankans secured victory in six games. The turnaround started with a comprehensive home series win against New Zealand, where they outclassed their opponent in every way. This put them in a serious contention for the final, but their stakes diminished substantially after they suffered massive home losses to Australia in a two-match rubber. Sri Lanka had to eventually content themselves with a sixth place in the teams' ranking for the 2023-25 period. 

Rohit Sharma 

Rohit Sharma's Indian test cricket team had a topsy-turvy ride in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. Coming into this one as the losing finalists on two successive occasions, the pressure was on the captain and his squad to finally deliver this term. They were in contention for a place in the final, their third on the trot, until late 2024. However, a historic home series drubbing at the hands of New Zealand seriously dented their hopes. That Kiwi whitewash left India on unprecedented grounds and required them to win at least four matches in Australia. The task proved to be daunting, and the Indians were unable to record that many wins. They lost the series 3-1 and eventually gave up on the final spot for June 2025. Under Rohit, India won eight out of the seventeen tests they played in this period and finished third on the points table.