After Test series loss to Australia, what's next for Team India in 2025? And what can we expect?

Team India’s hopes of making a third consecutive final of the World Test Championship (WTC) ended with a crushing six-wicket loss to Australia in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Not only did they miss out on the WTC final, but India also surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, something which they had kept with themselves for the last 10 years.

India had begun the five-match series on a promising note, registering a 295-run win in the first Test in Perth. However, the Men in Blue soon found themselves in trouble, with seniors like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling to score runs. As far as their bowling was concerned, India were completely reliant on Jasprit Bumrah to produce the goods. However, there were quite a few positives from the series, with youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana stepping up but that was never going to be enough. Now that the Australia-India Test series is done, what’s next in store for India?

What’s next for Team India in 2025?

India’s Test cricket season, which consisted of a home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, and an away tour of Australia, is done. Now, the focus shifts back to the shortest formats, more particularly the ODIs, with the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy set to get underway on 19 February.

The Champions Trophy will be held in a hybrid format with matches taking place in Pakistan and Dubai, with the Men in Blue playing all of their matches in Dubai. India are in Group A along with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, and will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on 20 February. That will be followed by matches against Pakistan (20 February) and New Zealand (2 March).

However, before that, India host England for a limited-overs series consisting of five T20Is and three ODIs. Because of the Champions Trophy, India’s focus will be largely on the ODI series against England, which should give us an idea as to how the Men in Blue will approach the eight-team tournament in Dubai.

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India’s first Test assignment in the 2025-37 WTC cycle will be a five-match Test series in England in June-August.

Here’s a look at the Indian men’s cricket team’s schedule for 2025:

What can we realistically expect from India?

India will be expected to retain a majority of their core ODI side that reached the final of the 2023 World Cup, but question marks remain over the fitness of pacer Mohammed Shami, who has not played for India since the ODI World Cup final due to an ankle injury. It remains to be seen if Shami will make the India squad for the Champions Trophy. In Shami’s absence, Arshdeep Singh could be a vital cog in the Indian pace bowling attack.

During the fifth Australia-India Test in Sydney, India suffered yet another setback after Jasprit Bumrah sustained a back spasm. The pacer will reportedly miss a major part of the limited-overs series against England, with the extent of his injury yet to be known. Should Bumrah miss out on the ODIs against England, he could miss out on vital game time before the Champions Trophy.

Shreyas Iyer is another player who will be looking to gain some game time in the ODIs against England ahead of the Champions Trophy, given that he is selected. Recent form does favour Iyer — the 30-year-old has enjoyed a pretty good outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai, scoring 325 runs from five matches including two centuries. So, his current form should put Iyer in good stead but consistency is key.

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are also almost certain to be picked in the India Champions Trophy squad. While the squad would bear a balanced look with a mix of experience and youth, the big question is how far will Team India go in the Champions Trophy?

Realistically speaking, India will be expected to reach at least the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy. That will be minimum but undoubtedly, the Men in Blue will be gunning for the title. That’s easier said than done though, especially if India face either Australia or England in the semi-finals.

Another key focus during the Champions Trophy will be for the “superstars” of the Indian team to step up. More so, after the failures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Australia. These two will once again be expected to carry on the hopes of more than a billion fans. And who knows if this will be the last time we see Rohit and Kohli in Team India colours?

Sure, there will be expectations, and along with expectations from people, comes the pressure on the team altogether to do well. How far India goes in the Champions Trophy will thus depend on how the Men in Blue can handle pressure situations in matches, especially given the fact that they have been placed in a tricky group.

India will also aim to secure their first Test series win in England since 2007 later this year. However, with more young players expected to join the squad, the challenge will become even tougher. Attention will also be on whether Rohit and Kohli are selected for the tour, and who will lead the team as captain.