World Champions in the shortest format. Unfinished business in the one-days. Yet to reach the new set pinnacle of Test Cricket. What lies ahead for the Indian Men’s Cricket Team in this 2024/25 season?
After the IPL and the T20 World Cup, India played a 5 match T20 series against Zimbabwe, a 3 match T20 series and ODI series against Sri Lanka. 2 Test Matches against Bangladesh will mark the start of the home season, as 3 T20Is with Bangladesh are followed by 3 Tests in India against New Zealand. Then the national team heads to South Africa for 4 T20Is against the Proteas. The main attraction of this season will without doubt be the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November to January, held in Australia this time. The tests leading up to that will definitely be a search for India’s best touring side on pace-friendly pitches in Australia. Following that, it will be England touring India for 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs, before the Champions Trophy takes place.
There are a few goals for India this season. India will be looking to find their best sides for touring Australia and then England in June and July next year, as well as qualify for the final and win the World Test Championship. In the T20 format, this period will be a transition where a few senior players who have moved on will need to be replaced, and find their best team for the 2026 T20 World Cup. But here is where it gets a little confusing. India are going to play the Champions Trophy, an ODI tournament, in February of 2025. The rest of India’s season only contains 3 more ODI matches for India to prepare for that tournament. The BCCI needs to take a hard look at itself for organising these fixtures. Surely a few less T20Is could be played? Instead of a T20 tour of South Africa, make it 4 ODIs. India probably has the best white-ball pool of talent in the world, but surely a little more preparation is needed. On the red-ball side, they have stuck to their guns in terms of the selection for the Bangladesh Tests, with probably the one left-field pick being Yash Dayal over maybe Arshdeep Singh.
India have gotten the decade long monkey off their back and won an ICC trophy in the form of the T20 World Cup. Now they need to prove it in the longer formats.
Picture Credits: https://www.gettyimages.in/photos/ravichandran-ashwin
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