'Lord's is not a 1,00,000 seater Stadium, you need': Ravi Shastri picks Narendra Modi Stadium and MCG as a ‘great venue’ for WTC Final in future

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri reckons that the World Test Championship (WTC) final can move to colossal venues like Narendra Modi Stadium in India and the iconic Melbourne Cricket Stadium in Australia after gaining a huge following in future.

The three editions of the WTC final have been played across three different stadiums in England. The Rose Bowl in Southampton hosted India and New Zealand in the inaugural final. Australia then took over from the Kiwis as the WTC champions with a win over India in the WTC 2023 final at the Oval.

The trophy returned to London earlier this month, with the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground overseeing a spectacular match between Australia and South Africa, with the Proteas ending a 27-year ICC trophy drought under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy. The third edition of the finale was the only one where India were unable to qualify. India failed to qualify after losing back to back Test series against New Zealand and Australia.

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“I think to start off initially, it’s good if it’s here (Lord’s) actually. Once it gets the popularity and eyebrows it deserves, then it can start shifting. But I think the MCG can be a great place for a World Test Championship Final. Ahmedabad can be a great place for the WTC Final. Basically, the places where you can draw a crowd. Because Lord’s is not a 100,000-seater stadium. So, irrespective of which team is playing, you know you will get a good crowd,” Shastri told in a Wisden Cricket podcast.

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However, there were reports that England is likely to be home for the WTC finals across the next two cycles as well, with finals slated in 2029 and 2031. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Program, the 2027 WTC Final has also been scheduled to be held at Lord’s. The BCCI’s bid to host the 2027 WTC was recently dismissed, with England being favoured for the continual support shown to neutral Tests.