If turbulence is an overstatement, a little bit of volatility would certainly be the right way to put it when talking about Indian cricket in 2025. In the limited-overs formats, Team India have had a consistent run in both 50-over and T20I cricket, losing very few games. But when it comes to the sport’s longest version, it’s just the opposite, as there are several reasons to worry. The Telegraph looks back at how things panned out for Team India this year
Inauspicious start
Although chances of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia were gone after losing the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, a victory in Sydney would have kept alive at least the remote chances of India reaching the World Test Championship (2023-25 cycle) final. India did take a slender first-innings lead on a challenging SCG surface, but their batsmen continued to struggle, which left Australia with only 162 to get.
Making matters worse, India couldn’t avail Jasprit Bumrah’s services in the fourth innings as their pace spearhead was down with a back injury. Australia took just 27 overs to race to the target, won the series 3-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and also dashed India’s WTC final hopes.
The year didn’t begin in the best way for Indian cricket. Besides, the Australia series eventually marked the end of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test journey.
The CT high
India had the advantage of playing all of their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai after their refusal to play in Pakistan, the official hosts of the tournament. Familiarity with the conditions was always going to be an advantage, and they ensured to make full use of that.
Rohit’s impressive ODI form continued and Kohli, too, scored an unbeaten ton against Pakistan.
Facing an Australian team with a depleted bowling attack also assisted India to a fair extent in the semi-final clash. However, they still deserved kudos for thriving under pressure in the semi-final and then in the decider against New Zealand, thanks to the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who maintained their composure in critical junctures.
The wickets taken by senior pacer Mohammed Shami, with the timely strikes from spin duo Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav and their control in the middle overs, were equally crucial for India’s triumph. The Champions Trophy crown certainly came as a relief for the team following a disastrous tour Down Under.
Resistance in England
The five-match Test series in England was not just Shubman Gill’s captaincy debut, but also India’s first longest-format assignment without Rohit and Kohli.
Gill’s Test record prior to the England tour wasn’t great. But from the opening Test itself, with a much stronger defence, Gill asserted himself with incredible consistency, converting most of his starts into three figures as he finished the series with four hundreds.
If not for his defiant third-wicket partnership with KL Rahul who, alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, complemented Gill in terms of consistency, India would have lost the fourth Test in Manchester and the series thereby. They were two down for nothing in their second innings after England had taken a massive 311-run lead.
Following a gritty draw at Old Trafford, India went into the final Test at The Oval with a chance of avoiding a series defeat. Playing without Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj’s lion-hearted effort (5/104) in the second innings, with assistance from Prasidh Krishna, secured India a sensational six-run win even after centurions Joe Root and Harry Brook had helped England race towards the 374-run target.
Importantly, both the Tests India won in their 2-2 draw against England were without Bumrah, and that may not have been possible without Siraj’s critical spells.
Spin disaster
The fight in England and a series win over the West Indies helped India warm up for the challenge against reigning WTC champions South Africa. But on a tricky, challenging Eden Gardens pitch, the current generation of Indian batters’ problems against spin resurfaced.
Before off-spinner Simon Harmer in particular, Indian batsmen came a cropper to lose at the Eden. Even pacer Marco Jansen tormented India despite better batting conditions in the second and final Test in Guwahati. That resulted in yet another home
series defeat for India after their 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand in late 2004.
Their struggles against spin aside, the shot selection of some of the senior batsmen was quite questionable. The embarrassing series defeat also pushed India downwards in the standings of the current WTC cycle.
Missing No.3
Young Sai Sudharsan, making his Test debut on the England tour, was tried at No. 3. So was Karun Nair, who made his Test comeback after eight years. Nair was dumped after the series for not being too effective, but Sudharsan continued, only to flatter to deceive.
Such was the level of cluelessness over the No. 3 slot that even spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar, essentially a lower-order batter, was promoted to that position at the Eden Test against the Proteas. By the time India play their next Test series — in Sri Lanka in August 2026 — the No. 3 slot needs to be sorted.
To end with hope
Unbeaten winners of the Champions Trophy, India extended that run even in the Asia Cup in UAE, beating Pakistan thrice in the competition, including the final. The falling standards of the other Asian teams did make matters a tad easier for the Indians, but they followed that up with a 3-1 T20I home series win over a much stronger South Africa.
In the South Africa T20Is, spinner Varun stepped up once again, proving he’s going to be central to India’s T20 World Cup defence in February and March next year. With the bat, Abhishek Sharma’s Powerplay exploits, Tilak Varma’s temperament and Hardik Pandya’s all-round skills, particularly his ability the bat in the slog overs, certainly keep India in good stead.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form is a concern, but the overall strength of India’s T20I side does give them more reasons to be confident of a robust defence of their Cup crown.