ICC World Test Championship 2021-23: Decoding India's campaign in numbers
It was another heartbreak for India in an ICC event as they lost the World Test Championship 2023 final against Australia. Rohit Sharma's men were outplayed in the summit clash as they suffered a 209-run defeat at London's Kennington Oval. Nevertheless, India played some quality cricket throughout the 2021-23 cycle and recorded several comprehensive victories. Here we decode their campaign.
A second-place finish in the points table
With a PCT (Points percentage system) of 58.8, India finished second in the points table. They played 18 games (excluding the final), won 10, and lost five. Three of their games were drawn. Only table-toppers Australia recorded more wins (11) and suffered lesser defeats (3) in the cycle. Meanwhile, England also returned with 10 victories in the cycle.
Decoding India's journey to the summit clash
India started their WTC campaign in England where they managed a 2-2 draw. They later defeated New Zealand 1-0 at home, Sri Lanka 2-0 at home, Bangladesh 2-0 (away), and ultimately Australia 2-1 at home to qualify for the final. India won five of their eight home Tests, losing just once. The team returned with five wins and four defeats in 10 away matches.
Here are India's top batters in the cycle
Notably, no Indian is among the top-15 run-getters in the 2021-23 cycle. Virat Kohli (932 at 32.13) and Cheteshwar Pujara (928 at 32) are India's leading run-getters. Rishabh Pant (868 runs) is the only other Indian batter with 800-plus runs in the cycle. Only Pant (43.4), Rohit (42.11), and Shreyas Iyer (44.4) had 40-plus averages among Indian batters with 500-plus runs in the cycle.
Pant's brilliance with the bat
It must be noted that Pant's strike rate of 80.81 in the 2021-23 cycle is the second-highest among batters with at least 500 runs. Only Australian dasher Travis Head is ahead of him in this regard with a strike rate of 81.91. Last year, Pant smoked the fastest fifty in WTC history, off 28 balls against Sri Lanka.
Ravindra Jadeja's all-round brilliance
With 721 runs at 36.04 and 47 wickets at 23.68, Ravindra Jadeja finished the cycle as India's fifth-highest run-getter and second-highest wicket-taker. The tally includes three fifties, two tons, three fifers, and a match 10-wicket haul. No other all-rounder could accomplish the double of 500-plus runs and at least 35 wickets in the cycle. The southpaw is the top-ranked Test all-rounder at the moment.
A look at India's top wicket-takers
With 61 wickets at 19.67, Ravichandran Ashwin finished as India's highest wicket-taker and overall, the third highest wicket-taker in the cycle. As mentioned, Jadeja was India's second-highest wicket-taker. Mohammed Shami (45 wickets at 28.28) and Jasprit Bumrah (45 wickets at 19.73) are India's leading wicket-takers among pacers. Jadeja's 7/42 against Australia earlier this year are the best figures by an Indian in this cycle.
