The 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final will be played at the iconic Lord's cricket ground from June 11 to 15 next year.
There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period.
'If you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that World Test Championship final, then it is great, but it is a real weird one knowing that you are playing for something over a long period of time.'
Gupta highlighted that a packed Lord's during the previous edition's final between Australia and South Africa, despite the absence of India and hosts England, was a landmark moment for the global governing body.
The ICC launched the WTC last year to lend context to bilateral Test series, giving the format its standalone showpiece like the World Cup in other formats.
In the World Test Championship final in June, New Zealand, in all likelihood, will meet either India or England, who will clash in a four-Test series, starting on Friday.
The points table of the ICC World Test Championship.
England to host New Zealand for two Tests in June.
The World Test Championship schedule has been thrown haywire by the COVID-19 pandemic and its much-awaited final next year will depend on the number of rescheduled bilateral series after the disruption, ICC GM (Cricket Operations) Geoff Allardice said on Monday.
Pakistan slipped to eighth in the World Test Championship standings following their 10-wicket loss to Bangladesh.
India on Friday slipped a rung to sixth position on the World Test Championship standings after New Zealand's comprehensive nine-wicket victory against the West Indies in Wellington.
India captain Virat Kohli says the competition in the traditional format has "gone up two-fold" in recent years.
India are yet to drop a point in the nine-team championship, having won three series in a row.
Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen will lead the Indian contingent at the Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia.
A struggling, but promising South African unit will be aiming to avenge the heartbreak of 2024 by securing the grandest prize in T20I cricket on Indian soil, with the Proteas' 'Gen-Next' of Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kwena Maphaka in the spotlight.
Kohli has no doubts that World Test Championship has added a context to the traditional format making the contests more exciting with points on offer.
'We are trying to see whether Test championship can generate interest'
Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins says his injury-forced withdrawal from the T20 World Cup was also driven by a desire to be completely fit for the upcoming Test season.
t Pat Cummins' side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current cycle.
Images from Day 6 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Wednesday.
South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-Test series against India beginning on Friday.
A B de Villiers described South Africa's squad as a well-balanced unit and backed them to pull off an upset against defending champions Australia.
Australia's senior batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's after suffering a compound dislocation of his right pinkie on Friday.
ICC has created the World Test Championship in an effort to give the five-day game greater context a
Lungi Ngidi's call-up indicates that Kagiso Rabada, who missed the team's memorable win in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is still uncertain for the Guwahati Test
The ICC has promised concessions to the PCB for ending its boycott of the India match, but details will be revealed only after the T20 World Cup, sources said.
'We are absolutely delighted that England and Wales has been chosen to host the next three ICC World Test Championship Finals.'
India captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir along with Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel arrived in Kolkata late on Sunday ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.
Prem Panicker and Faisal Shariff discuss the World Test Championship final, where South Africa pulled off a magnificent win against favorites Australia.
The most pressing issue for the governing ICC is what to do about the six Test series
The Sydney Morning Herald, on Monday, reported that plans for a nine-nation Test championship were under way and the ICC was set to give the concept a green light on Friday at a meeting in Auckland.
England's Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand will be the on-field umpires in the WTC final at Lord's.
Kagiso Rabada's month suspension after he failed a drug test was because the fast bowler tested positive for cocaine, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport has said.
India have continued from their early success of a 2-0 win in the West Indies and are now on 240 points after wresting the maximum of 120 points in both their series.
A preview of Group D in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, featuring South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
Bavuma remains unbeaten in his 11 Tests as skipper, winning 10 of them to go with a draw, and in that period has averaged 57.00 with the bat.
Asked about losing yet another toss, Gill quipped, 'I think the only toss that I'm going to win is hopefully in the WTC finals.'
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
South Africa begins their T20 World Cup campaign against Canada, while Zimbabwe faces Oman in another match. Both South Africa and Zimbabwe aim to make a strong impact in the tournament.
India's chances of reaching the World Test Championship finals (WTC) took a major hit as they slipped to the fifth spot in standings following their embarrassing 0-2 series whitewash to South Africa at home.
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