What India Can Learn from South Africa’s WTC Glory

Let’s be honest — seeing South Africa lift the World Test Championship (WTC) mace at Lord’s was both reinvigorating and challenging for Indian fans. After all, India has reached three WTC finals but hasn’t managed to lift the mace each time. Meanwhile, no one gave the Proteas — whose squad did have homework to do — much of a chance in the final, yet they turned things around and beat mighty Australia at their own game. As India begins a hard tour of England with a new squad, we thought it posed an environmental moment to examine what lessons the Men in Blue could take from South Africa’s shock win.

Know Your Conditions, and Play Them Right

Each team made the same decision after winning the toss for their WTC Finals: to bowl first. Who can blame them! With the overcast sky, grass on the green pitch, and a red Duke’s ball, it seems a no-brainer. South Africa executed this plan to perfection, bowling Australia out for just 212, and you would think India had got a serious case of déjà vu in 2023 – losing early wickets, and then letting it bounce away with them adding many runs. That day, Australia went on to score 469. Ouch.

South Africa moved the ball, maintained application, and when it was time to bat under more conducive skies, they attacked. The Indian bowlers can certainly swing the ball; however, the difference was the discipline, the planning, and the timing of when to attack. Heading into the series against England, reading the pitch and the weather will not be enough for India. They will need to exploit them.

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No Shortcuts to Preparation – Even if IPL Is in the Way

Let’s be honest — IPL is the big elephant in the room. It’s flashy, fun, full of sixes — but is it helping India win ICC trophies? South Africa doesn’t think so. CSA made a bold move: they pulled their players out of the IPL early to prepare for English conditions. The result? Rabada was unplayable, Markram was clutch, and the entire team looked sharp, focused, and well-connected.

Conversely, India heads into the 2023 WTC Final looking almost unprepared. Rohit, Shubman, and Shami had time to overlap changing to Test mode, and the Australians gave up some of the IPL to prepare themselves. With England en route, BCCI and the management have a lot of timing and scheduling to figure out, as you can’t switch modes overnight.

Embrace the Chaos of Transition – Build a Team, Not Just an XI

To South Africa’s downfall is Dean Elgar, a revolving door with the captaincy, and they’ve lost a variety of players through injury – Nortje, Coetzee, Burger, etc. Why? They trust their depth and bench. Players like Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch and Wiaan Mulder stepped into huge roles. It certainly wasn’t without some hiccupping – far from it – but the nature of the side grew, adjusted, and found some balance.

India finds itself in a very similar phase. The likes of Pujara, Rahane, and even Ashwin are nearing the end of their careers, and the case for transition is real. India cannot panic every time a senior player gets injured or retires; it must stop panicking and, alongside the older heads, start backing a group of players and developing the next generation. The South African model shows that depth is more than just numbers – it is about belief.

South Africa’s WTC victory depended on more than just skill, but also integrated clarity, courage, and good planning and execution. What they need now is better execution and the willingness to change their processes. And with the all-important England series coming fast, it is the perfect time to reflect and reset.

Let us know what you think of these lessons, which lessons do you think India MUST take seriously ahead of the next big Test?