New Delhi, India

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle's final will be held at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium, London from June 11-15 (with 16th being the reserve day). Guy Lavender, the chief executive and secretary of the Marleybone Cricket Club (MCC) said, "Test match days at Lord's are special and to welcome the two best men's sides in the world at the time, to battle it out at the Home of Cricket, will be a cricketing experience not to be missed."

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The previous two WTC finals were also held in the United Kingdom, with the 2021 finale in Southampton whereas the 2023 summit clash took place at The Oval, London. The inaugural final was held between India and New Zealand, where Kane Williamson-led Black Caps won by eight wickets. In the 2023 final, Rohit Sharma-led India lost to Pat Cummins' Australia by 208 runs.

'Winning WTC was and still is a big goal'

Meanwhile, defending champions Australia are in no mood to give away their WTC title anytime soon. Test captain Cummins was quoted as saying, "Winning the World Test Championship was, and still is, a big goal for this team. It is the culmination of hard work and consistency over the two-year cycle for all teams. So hopefully we will be there again, there's a lot of cricket still to be played between now and then, and the fans can get a chance to watch us defend the title."

Also read: 'You'll shame yourself...', Harbhajan on how he motivated young Kohli doubting his Test credentials

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INDIA VS AUSTRALIA FINAL?

As per the WTC standings, India are at the top with six wins from nine encounters whereas defending champions Australia are a close second. The Aussies have played 12 games in the 2023-25 cycle and won eight of them. India is at the top with a win percentage of 68.51 whereas Australia are not far behind, with a win percentage of 62.5. The likes of New Zealand, Bangladesh, England and South Africa occupy the next four positions, respectively.