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Explained: Cricketing lessons India need to take from their 2025 journey

Umesh Sharma

India's Champions Trophy Win (L), India's Test Defeat against SA (R) (Source: AFP)India's Champions Trophy Win (L), India's Test Defeat against SA (R) (Source: AFP)

2025 is about to end as one of the most eventful cricketing calendar years. The year came up with some big positives for the Indian cricket team, alongside some sour memories. From the start of the year till the end, it happened to be a roller coaster journey for Team India both on and off the field. 

Notably, India’s next cricketing calendar year will start with the much-awaited white-ball assignment against New Zealand at home. It will be followed by the home edition of the T20 World Cup, in which they will be entering as the reigning champions. 

That said, here’s a look at the cricketing lessons from every quarter of this year (2025), which India need to learn as they move forward in 2026. 

January to March - Revisit the ODI setup of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 

India’s ODI run in 2025 started with an amazing clean sweep victory by 3-0 against England in a three-match home series in February. The Men in Blue’s dream run continued to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 they played in Dubai. 

Rohit Sharma-led Indian side clinched the title being unbeaten throughout the entire tournament with five successive wins. Their campaign started with an eight-wicket win against Bangladesh, followed by a six-wicket win against the arch-rivals Pakistan. 

Later in their third game, Rohit’s men defeated New Zealand by 44 runs before outplaying Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final. Furthermore, they outshone New Zealand again in the summit clash by four-wicket margin to lift the title. 

So, the first quarter suggests Indian management to revisit the setup they had before or during the Champions Trophy. That particular setup has a potential to guide the team success in their plans for the ODI World Cup 2027. 

April To June - Work towards First-Class games for India A

In the second quarter of 2025 from April to June, India A played only two First-Class games against England Lions in May and June. Considering the plans for strengthening India’s senior side in Tests, these two First-Class games were less of an opportunity for the young cricketers to prove themselves. 

So, the April-June quarter ended with a piece of advice for the Indian team management. The advice was quite simple, just increase the number of First-Class games for India A. It will help in getting a more strengthened and prepared bunch of players ready to be a part of the senior side in Tests whenever required. 

July to September - Improve the approach in England and stay consistent in T20Is

This quarter was one of the most happening quarters of this year from the perspective of the Indian cricket team and fans. It included India's Test assignment against England in England. The visitors played under the captaincy of newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill. 

India drew the series with England by 2-2, with a lot of learnings, including the need to improve in the approach while playing in the English conditions. Besides that, the series also ended with a couple of leadership lessons for the young Test skipper Shubman Gill like how to tackle with the pressure situations and lining up a perfect mix according to the conditions. 

Furthermore, the format changed for the Indian side as they switched to the Asia Cup 2025 in T20I format. The team led by Suryakumar Yadav won the continental tournament, staying unbeaten throughout the entire tournament. 

The unbeaten run in the Asia Cup 2025 was also a lesson and suggestion for India’s T20I side that they must not get these wins over their head. Besides that, it also came up with a kind of pressure to perform with the same consistency the Indian side raised the bar quite high. 

October to December: Fix the flaws in Test side and stay stable in white-ball cricket

The fourth and last quarter of the year started with an easy 2-0 win for India in a home Test series against West Indies. It was followed by their 1-2 defeat against Australia in the three-match ODI series in Australia, which included the Rohti Sharma and Virat Kohli’s heroics in the third and last ODI. 

After the conclusion of the ODIs against Australia, the Indian team faced a big setback in Tests in November. The Test team lost the two-match home series by 0-2, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. It was India’s second defeat in a home Test series within the last one year. 

Furthermore, the fans enjoyed Rohit, Kohli’s comeback knocks in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, alongside India’s 2-1 series win. It was followed by 3-1 T20I series win against the Proteas. 

So, the last quarter happened to be a mixed bag of experience for Indian cricket across formats. It included the sour memories of defeats against SA in home Tests and in ODIs against Australia. These defeats came with the learnings for the Indian side that they must address and fix their flaws in Test setup at the earliest, alongside staying stable in the ODIs. 

Later around the end of this quarter, the wins against SA in ODIs and T20Is once again advocated in favour of not tempering the white-ball setup and keeping it consistent. It will play a crucial role for the Men in Blue considering next year’s T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup two years later.