Following India’s T20 World Cup Victory, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir Sets Sights on Test Championship Final
Mumbai: After leading India to a historic T20 World Cup title, head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed his next major objective: guiding the team to the final of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship. He stated that competing in Test cricket remains his greatest passion.
India secured their championship on Sunday, defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final. This victory marked several significant achievements for the team:
India became the first nation to win a T20 World Cup on home soil. The win also made them the first team to claim back-to-back titles, following their 2024 triumph. India is now the first country to win the T20 World Cup three times (2007, 2024, 2026). Despite winning three ICC white-ball trophies – the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the 2026 T20 World Cup – in the last two years, India has yet to secure a World Test Championship title.
Targeting the Test Championship Final
Gambhir acknowledged the challenges of Test cricket, saying, “Test cricket is very close to my heart. First, we need to qualify for the Test Championship final. There are nine Test matches ahead of us. We are going through a phase of change in red-ball cricket, so we will continue to support the young players.” Gambhir told ANI.
He emphasized that there is no greater satisfaction than a Test victory earned through five days of hard perform, adding, “Most of the players in the dressing room want to shine in Test cricket.”
India’s Test Challenge
While India has enjoyed significant success in white-ball cricket under Gambhir, their Test performance has been less consistent. The team lost Test series at home to New Zealand and South Africa last year. Failing to reach the final this time would be a significant setback for Gambhir as coach.
Currently, India sits in sixth place in the World Test Championship points table with 48.15 percentage points from four wins in nine matches. Upcoming series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia will be crucial in determining India’s fate.
