India Told To Forget About WTC Final Qualification Before Sri Lanka Tests

India Told To Forget WTC Final Qualification [Source: AFP and AP]

Ahead of the important Sri Lanka tour, former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta urged Team India to move away from the goal of WTC 2027 final qualification. The 2-game Test series will begin August 15 at Galle. 

India are currently in a difficult position in the WTC standings after a disappointing home Test series defeat to South Africa. They’re ranked in 5th place with a 48.15% points percentage. 

In the next few months, the men in blue will face Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia. Because of this, qualifying for the WTC Final has become very difficult. 

Deep Dasgupta advises India to stay away from the WTC Final

However, in an unpopular opinion, Deep Dasgupta said that India should prioritise rebuilding the Test team instead of chasing immediate results just for the sake of qualifying for the WTC 2027 final.

He said that the team is in a transition phase under new captain Shubman Gill and hence, the young players need time to develop. 

"I want to see much more development. Are we improving? Yes, there is inexperience, and it is a transition, but it is important to see the improvement. In fact, I am going to say something that people may not like, but for the time being, it is better to forget about WTC Final Qualification. It is better not to talk about it,” Dasgupta said on YouTube.

If the management focuses only on qualifying for the WTC Final, they might make short-term decisions instead of building a stronger team for the future. 

But Deep wants India to become the kind of team they were during 2020-21, when they consistently won both at home and overseas. And that can only be achieved by keeping the long-term vision in focus.

“In my opinion, what we should instead focus on is how to make the Indian Test team like the one in 2020-21, like that phase where India were winning overseas and winning home series as well," he added.

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India advised to aim for next WTC cycle

Further in the YouTube video, Deep Dasgupta added that India should build a squad capable of dominating the next WTC cycle, even if that means sacrificing some results now.

"If you keep thinking about the WTC Final, then you might be looking to take shortcuts. You will just look to figure out ways to win that particular match or series. It is important, don't get me wrong, but somewhere or the other, you can also look at it from another way."

Deep Dasgupta is not saying the WTC doesn't matter. Rather, he believes that India's long-term goal of building a dominant Test team is more important than desperately trying to qualify for this WTC Final. 

"We can think about how we can dominate the next WTC cycle instead. So, either we can walk now with a band-aid, or we can look to get some stitches and get some rest, and give our best with 100 per cent fitness.”

India's performance in WTC has regressed

The WTC’s first edition was held from 2019 to 2021. India managed to qualify for the final only to lose it to New Zealand in a rain-hit game held at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, England.

In the next WTC cycle 2021-2023, Team India again qualified for the final. This time, they faced Australia at the Oval in London but lost in a one-sided contest. 

Furthermore, in WTC 2023-2025, the men in blue fell behind after losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. This was the first time in WTC history that they didn’t play the final.

Now, the WTC 2025-2027 hasn’t gone well for India as they entered a transition phase. Hence, their final qualification scenario also appears dicey.

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