The Men in Blue haven’t been in the best of form in the last year or so in ODI and Test match cricket, with a series loss against New Zealand in the oldest format of the game at home in 2024, followed by a loss in the recently concluded ODI series against the same opposition.
Sandwiched between them is the loss in the Test series against South Africa, which was a part of the WTC 2025-27.
WTC 2025-27 The Reaction
The loss in the ODI series against New Zealand was India’s second loss in the last three series, which doesn’t augur well with a handful of ODI matches to go before the World Cup in early 2027.
There have been calls to arrest the slide that India is undergoing in both formats in no time, and the captain, along with the team management, seemed to have sensed it.
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WTC 2025-27: The Plan
According to a report in The Times of India, the captain of India’s ODI and Test team, Shubman Gill, wants the Test regulars to play at least one Ranji Trophy game before linking up with their respective IPL teams.
The reason behind this move is to ensure that all the players have enough game time under their belt before India’s next Test assignment against Sri Lanka in August, as there have been occasions in the past when the players have skipped India’s premier red-ball tournament.
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WTC 2025-27: The Backing
Gill has the backing of the team management, which is also on the same page regarding this decision, and in the past has been quite vocal about the need to feature in the Ranji Trophy on a consistent basis to be in contention for a place in the Test team.
This is not the first instance when players have been asked to play domestic cricket, as it was in 2016 that the then head coach of the team, Anil Kumble, came up with a similar rule to test the fitness of players who were returning from injury
WTC 2025-27: The ODI Resurrect
In addition to Test cricket, the team management, along with the captain, has identified areas of improvement in the ODI format of the game, one of them being wickets or the lack of them in the middle overs.
One of the reasons for India’s 2-1 loss in the ODI series against New Zealand was the lack of wickets in the middle overs, something which the captain and the coach would been keen to address going forward.
The report states that Kuldeep Yadav, who was ineffective against New Zealand, has the full backing of the captain for the games to come and will be supported by a fast bowler in the middle phase of the innings.
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WTC 2025-27: The Combination
The management is banking its hopes on Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna to partner Kuldeep with at least one of them featuring in the playing XI, depending on the conditions.
Siraj, who had a decent outing against New Zealand, is also back in the reckoning with the new rule bringing reverse swing back in the game.
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As far as the new ball is concerned, it is expected to be taken by Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh from either ends giving Gill five fast bowling options to choose from.
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