World Test Championship
India's journey to the WTC final
A damp beginning: Rain in Nottingham poured cold water on India's hopes of starting the WTC cycle with a win - India were 52 for 1 in 14 overs in their chase of 209 when time ran out•AFP/Getty Images
Mohammed Siraj finished off the job after 51.5 overs of hell, 8.1 fewer than India's upper limit of 60, to complete the Lord's win•AFP/Getty Images
The story in Mumbai was Ajaz Patel's Perfect Ten, but Mayank Agarwal's 150 trumped that for India to get their first home win of the cycle, and the first win under Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach. It did, however, end up being Wriddhiman Saha's last Test•BCCI
Virat Kohli decided to end his seven-year reign as India's Test captain on the back of the loss at Cape Town… It wasn't pleasant when it ended, but his 40 wins made him India's most successful Test captain of all time•AFP/Getty Images
That last Test of the England tour did take place, in 2022, with Jasprit Bumrah leading India in Rohit Sharma's absence. India lost. And a subsequent injury to Bumrah meant it would be his last Test of the cycle•PA Photos/Getty Images
India needed a perfect record in Bangladesh. But, after registering a thumping win in Chattogram, they were in a precarious position at 74 for 7 in a 145-run chase in Dhaka. That's when R Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer put on an unbeaten 71-run stand and completed another 2-0 series win for India•Associated Press
While India lost their first Test at home in two years, they held a 2-1 lead coming into the fourth in Ahmedabad, where Virat Kohli tonned up for the first time in this cycle. In the meantime, Sri Lanka losing to New Zealand in Christchurch meant a draw was good enough for India to qualify•BCCI
The first win came in the next Test, at Lord's. There were many great performances from India, a Joe Root 180 and a James Anderson five-for, and on-field scraps, but it was Jasprit Bumrah who played the defining role with an unbroken 89-run stand with Mohammed Shami and uprooting key opposition batters on the final day•AFP/Getty Images
India won one more, and lost one, before Covid-19 issues forced the postponement of the final Test, in Manchester, with India 2-1 in front•AFP/Getty Images
On to South Africa, and Mohammed Shami's match haul of 8 for 107 - the other quicks weren't too shabby either - helping India breach fortress Centurion to start the tour in style•Associated Press
Rohit Sharma's first assignment as India's permanent Test captain was a relatively comfortable one - against Sri Lanka at home - and earned India useful WTC points•BCCI
Cheteshwar Pujara, meanwhile, came out of the shadows after he had been dropped post the South Africa tour, to finish as the only Indian to make the top-20 of the highest run scorers of the WTC cycle ahead of the final•Getty Images
Then came a massive shock. Within a week after the Bangladesh tour, Rishabh Pant suffered a major car crash… Pant, whose 868 runs at an average of 43.4 and a strike rate of 80.81 in the cycle has been immense for India, hasn't played since•PTI
Through the WTC cycle, India have got a new head coach, a new captain, and many new players. Now, they return to England for a new result in their second WTC title clash•Associated Press
India's campaign at home started against New Zealand in Kanpur, with Shreyas Iyer hitting 170 on debut. But in the battle of the Patels and Ravindras, Ajaz and Rachin kept Axar and Jadeja at bay for 52 balls late on the fifth day to complete a thrilling stalemate•Associated Press
India failed to build on the early success in South Africa, firstly being unable to defend 240 in Johannesburg. And then, after Dean Elgar overturned an lbw decision, Virat Kohli and Co put their displeasure on record. South Africa won that Test to complete a 2-1 series win•Gallo Images/Getty Images
Rishabh Pant carried his away form back home, and against the pink ball as well•BCCI
England's Bazballistics blew India out of the water in the postponed Test as Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root tons took England to the target of 378 at just under five runs an over, with seven wickets to spare•Getty Images
India needed at least two wins in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and on the spin-friendly tracks on offer, they won the first two. But the conditions worked against them in Indore in the third•Getty Images
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