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). 

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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. 

As per emerging reports, India's newly appointed red-ball skipper Shubman Gill is all set to miss out on India A's second warm-up game, which is scheduled to take place on June 6 in Northampton. Prior to the start of India's red-ball tour to England, India A will face England Lions for a two-match series, starting on May 30. GT have officially made it to the playoffs and are slated to play their Eliminator match against MI on May 30. Should their road to the final summit end on that day, then it is quite plausible that we could see Gill feature in the second warm-up game. 

But if that were not to happen and GT progressed to the final, which would be played on June 3, embarking on a trip to England in the next two days could prove quite challenging. 

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BCCI's stance on Shubman Gill's participation in the warm-up series

According to a report published by the Indian Express, the Indian think tank has opted to provide Gill some rest prior to the start of the five-match Test series. The report highlighted that Gill may not reach England on time for the second game if his team qualifies for the final, hence the decision to give up some rest.

"India's new Test captain, Shubman Gill, is likely to miss the second warm-up game at Northampton, which will be played on June 6. Gill is currently leading the Gujarat Titans for the IPL, which has qualified for the qualifiers. The final is scheduled on June 3, and if his team qualifies, it could be a scramble to reach England in two days' time. So the team management has decided to give him some rest before the 46-day tour starts."

India will have a new leader in place for the upcoming five-match Test series in England. They will be without the services of two of their most experienced campaigners - Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli, both of whom announced their Test retirement leading up to the series. It will be a huge test for Gill as it will be his first series as a Test captain for Team India. 

His choice to emphasize strategic preparation rather than conventional practice reflects a deliberate strategy regarding the massive responsibility he now holds. The cricketing community will be observing intently to see how this preparation strategy translates to performance when India competes at Headingley on June 20.

Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin had an interview with Ravindra Jadeja in the first episode of his YouTube show Kutti Stories season 3. During that interview, Jadeja clarified why T20 cricket captaincy was tougher than Test cricket. 

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have played together many times for Team India in every format and the Chennai Super Kings. They have great memories as they played massive roles together many times for their teams’ successes on the field.

Ravindra Jadeja on Test cricket captaincy

Jadeja believes that the captaincy is easier in Test cricket. He mentioned that the Test cricket decisions are much simpler than T20 cricket while setting up the fielders, choosing the bowlers, especially using the key bowlers. Jadeja claims that these are more calculative in Test cricket. The all-rounder feels that most of the fielders are generally changed in Test cricket according to the bowlers, not according to the opposition batters.

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Ravindra Jadeja on T20 cricket captaincy

On the other hand, Jadeja also believes that every ball is an event in T20 cricket, which makes the captaincy job tougher. While every four and six matters in T20 cricket, captains feel under pressure with a boundary, and need to think more about the next move. 

Ashwin also added that the session breaks of each day of Test cricket, which generally come after two hours of play, make Test cricket easier strategically for the captain.

Meanwhile, Jadeja further claimed that the batting order mostly remains the same for Test cricket but needs to be adjusted for T20 cricket according to the situations, which we especially experience in the crucial late middle overs or slog overs.  

Jadeja and Ashwin : Captaining in Test cricket is the easiest Job, while T20 format is the toughest to captain.

Owned Overhyped Chokli. 😭 pic.twitter.com/O1rR34YipE

— Aarchi (@Oye_Aarchi) May 28, 2025

May 16, 2025 marked the beginning of a new era for West Indies cricket as it named Roston Chase as the Test captain. The 33-year-old all-rounder, who had not played Test cricket since March 2023, replaces Kraigg Brathwaite, who was a consistent leader, particularly in setting the record of most consecutive Test matches played, previously held by Garfield Sobers with 86 matches.

Chase, who has 49 Tests under his belt, is renowned for his match-winning performances, including his 2016 heroics against India when he hit an unbeaten 137 and took 5 for 121 to help England snatch a thriller of a draw. Head coach Daren Sammy has poured his entire backing into Chase, praising his leadership skills and appealing to the cricket world to support the new captain as the team sets out to build a bright future, with spinner Jomel Warrican named vice-captain.

A Challenging Road Ahead

Chase is presented with a direct challenge as captain in the form of a three-Test series against Australia, starting June 25, 2025, at Bridgetown—a stiff task for someone coming back to the format after more than two years. The West Indies have demonstrated that they are capable of hanging with Australia as they drew a series 1-1 in 2024, which had a historic 8-run win in the second Test, their first on Australian soil since 1997.

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Chase is currently also a member of the West Indies team for a white-ball tour of England, beginning May 29, that offers a crucial chance to find match rhythm before the Test series. With his established record as an all-rounder and the approval of the coaching staff, Chase can become the leader who guides West Indies into a new era of Test cricket. The coming series against Australia will provide the turning point for Chase to demonstrate his worth and motivate the team to capitalize on their recent achievements.

Veteran Indian leg-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has added fuel to an India captaincy controversy for their forthcoming Test series against England on June 20, 2025, in Headingley by suggesting a surprise candidate to captain the side in Ravindra Jadeja. Talking on his YouTube show 'Ash Ki Baat' on May 15, 2025, Ashwin recognized the common sentiment supporting Shubman Gill, who has been groomed to lead and recently took Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2025 points table top, but also brought to the forefront Jasprit Bumrah as a strong candidate before pushing for Jadeja, saying, "Everybody is saying that Shubman Gill is the Test captain. All are heading that way. But there is a big voice in Jasprit Bumrah, and why do we overlook Ravindra Jadeja?"

Ashwin's endorsement of Jadeja comes in a period of transition for Indian Test cricket, after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the game earlier this month. A lot of experience comes with Jadeja, who has 312 Test wickets and 3,036 runs in 74 Tests, and he was a significant factor in India's success in the 2018-19 Test series in Australia.  Ashwin noted Jadeja's leadership ambitions, referencing his brief time as captain of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL in 2022 and his goal to captain India, stating that "the most experienced man in the side is Ravindra Jadeja."

A New Era for Indian Test Cricket

Recent news, though, points to trouble for the other candidates, as Bumrah has ruled himself out of the captaincy contest on workload grounds, given that he might not play all five Tests, and Gill does not have experience leading India in Tests or ODIs. The selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, will soon convene later this month to finalize the team and captain, as Jadeja's name now gathers momentum.

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Ashwin's recommendation of Jadeja may be a tactical decision to use the all-rounder's know-how to lead an inexperienced group in a tough series in England, signaling the beginning of the next World Test Championship cycle. In the absence of the likes of Kohli and Sharma, the selected skipper will be under tremendous pressure, and Ashwin's proposal is the turning point for India's future in Test cricket.