World Test Championship: Is India ready to be crowned the king of Test Cricket?

ICC introduced the World Test Championship in 2019 and as it brought to us a whole new competition to determine the test champions, the wave of excitement for the game of Test cricket rose exponentially. Now with a points table to follow and results of other nation’s matches also becoming crucially important, this ICC event brings something more for the ultimate cricket fans to enjoy. As we inch closer to the match for the trophy, the graph of exhilaration has already begun to soar.

The disruption of IPL last month had completely halted live cricketing action for the Indian fans. Now with the WTC finals set as the next mega-event, fans are enthusiastically waiting to watch which team comes out on top. The dates of the final match having been set and with the first match of the finals commencing from June 18th, the chatter around it on social media has been brimming. Being ideally set during the prime time for the Indian audiences with the broadcast time of 3 PM IST and the first 3 days of the match being on a Friday, Saturday & Sunday, give this match the potential to become the highest-rated test match ever.

With a lot at stake, team India walks into this championship finals in a strong position, being set at the top of the ranking table with 520 points. Their last Test series win against England played during February showed how well-poised the team has been in this tournament. With this being the most prestigious title in test cricket and New Zealand walking into this final with 5 wins on the trot, Virat Kohli and team will need to bring their top form to the field to bring home the trophy. The stakes are even higher for Virat as it would be his first-ever marquee title as captain.

As the story of determining the Champion Test team unfurls, the whole setting of the match is nonetheless, perfect. Hosted at the home of test cricket, England, this WTC finals has a lot of emotions riding on it. Also, taking into consideration the added rivalry which began when the men in blue lost to the kiwis during the World Cup semi-finals in 2019. The competitive energy around the event is also at its peak.

The mood of the nation looking better with the retreating covid cases, this WTC finals stands as a prominent proposition for advertisers to scale vast attention from consumers and boost their visibility. Along with the high cricketing intensity that WTC promises to bring to the table, the prime time broadcasting on the weekends also adds to this event being highly favourable among advertisers. As seen in several past ICC event’s viewership numbers, the grand stage like the tournament finals always garner the topmost attention from viewers. Being in the current situation, it is an ideal time for brands and marketers to make their presence felt and help build their recall among viewers.

The statistics from several past live cricket matches have displayed consistently high viewership numbers. The current work-from-home situation ensures that the WTC final has all the potential in becoming one of the greatest cricket events of all time. Live cricket has constantly been a known favourite among marketers. With the inception of WTC, it has not only helped boost the outlook of advertisers towards test matches but also provides a new and effective marketing landscape for the advertisers to add to their marketing strategies. With the monumental WTC finals scheduled to kick off in a few weeks, it is undoubtedly going to be something that all cricket fans would not want to miss!

Image credits: ICC