For a few minutes, just observe the pendulum of a clock. It oscillates to and fro with a tick-tock sound. Somewhere, the Indian cricket team’s performances too swung back and forth across formats in the year 2025. At Revsportz, we list out some of the highlights of the Indian cricket team across formats.
Test cricket:
In the longest format, the Indian team had more lows than highs. India were whitewashed in their own den by South Africa, suffering their second clean sweep at home over 12 months. Even if you go back to the 1950s, you won’t find India slipping to two whitewashes over a period of 12 months.
Amidst the series losses to Australia and South Africa, there was one silver lining: India’s gritty show in England. After England chased down a 250-plus target in Leeds, India came roaring back at Edgbaston. The visitors also put on a stellar show at Old Trafford, where from the jaws of defeat, they charted a draw. The icing on the cake was the memorable victory at the Oval to draw the series 2-2.
Shubman Gill, who took over the reins of captaining the Test side, was the cornerstone of India’s redoubtable comeback. He scored a whopping 754 runs in the rubber, the second-most by an Indian over a Test series. It included a double hundred and a ton in the Edgbaston. The highlight of Gill’s efforts was his backs-to-the-wall hundred at Old Trafford, taking India to safer waters. It was the same series in which Mohammed Siraj showed his mettle by spearheading the attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah over a couple of matches.
Siraj’s nine-wicket haul in the Oval game will be etched in the memories of Indian cricket fans. Akash Deep also put on a spirited display at Edgbaston, ending up with a game-breaking 10-for. Meanwhile, the much-maligned Prasidh Krishna turned out to be an ideal foil for Siraj in the final Test, taking 8 wickets. KL Rahul – 532 runs – and Ravindra Jadeja – 516 runs – also played significant roles. On the other hand, Washington Sundar showed more than enough promise with the bat and ball.
The year also saw the retirements of two of the stalwarts of the Indian batting unit, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. With Rohit retiring from the longest format, he passed the baton of captaining the Test side to Gill. Kohli, in particular, left an indelible mark on Test cricket with his aggressive captaincy.
Although there would always be a thought of what might have been as Kohli couldn’t cross the 10000-run mark in that format. During the later part of his career, Rohit too made an impact with the willow, notching up vital hands in England and on turning tracks. Rohit’s Test career, though, ended on a disappointing note, with the incumbent captain dropping himself from the Test side in Sydney.
Looking ahead – India have some teething problems in the longest format. There are question marks over Indian batters’ ability to play spin in the DRS era. And then you add to it the huge void left by R Ashwin in the spin department. In that context, can India continue to produce off-spinners of repute? With India aiming to manage the workload of Bumrah, there are lingering doubts over the pace attack as well. Even though they put on a gutsy performance over a couple of games in England, with Bumrah being rested.
Limited overs
In the abridged versions of the game, India have again touched their peak. And they are set to play a high level of limited-overs cricket for a while longer. In 2025, India won almost everything in the shorter formats – From the Asia Cup to the Champions Trophy and bilateral rubbers.
The most memorable moment perhaps came in the Asia Cup, where Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube guided India to a famous win over Pakistan in a high-pressure final in Dubai. It was a tournament that had its share of off-field dramas but India never let those distractions get to them.
Among individual performances, Abhishek Sharma was clearly the shining light, amassing 314 runs at a stunning strike rate of 200. It was his performances that provided India with the groundwork to chase down targets. The left-hand batter was in blazing form right through the year, exemplified by his strike rate of 203.66 in T20Is. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav befuddled the opponents time and again, bagging 17 scalps. Varun Chakravarthy had enough catches dropped off his bowling, yet he took 7 wickets.
India also remained unbeaten in the 50-over Champions Trophy, winning the title by defeating New Zealand in the summit clash. In the final, Rohit Sharma stamped his authority with a game-breaking fifty. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer made important contributions in the middle order as did KL Rahul to a lesser extent. Virat Kohli himself cracked a ton versus Pakistan. Lest we forget Hardik Pandya’s all-round contributions.
On the bowling side of things, in the absence of Bumrah, Chakravarthy and Kuldeep took crucial wickets. This tournament also was the last time Rohit led India in ODIs. So, he ended his captaincy stint on a high note.
Looking forward – India’s next major campaign is the T20 World Cup. With the likes of Bumrah, Varun, Arshdeep Singh, Hardik and Kuldeep in the bowling ranks, it would take a bold man to bet against India coming out on top. Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form is the only cause for concern.
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