The ICC World Test Championship or the World Cup for the longest format of the game, in layman's terms, is set to begin on August 1. The feature that makes the Test Championship unique is that it will not be played as a stand-alone tournament. The Test championship will comprise a numbers of Tests played over a period of two years, with a final match to decide the eventual winners. The International Cricket Council (ICC) first came up with the idea in 2009 and the championship was approved in 2010, with plans of hosting the first edition in 2013. The tournament got postponed to 2017 and was cancelled later. Finally, it was decided that the inaugural ICC World Test Championship will be played from August 1 2019 to April 30 2021.

The purpose of ICC World Test Championship?

The championship has been instated with the aim of bringing more context to bilateral Test cricket.

When will the ICC World Test Championship begin?

The championship will begin on August 1. The first Ashes Test in Birmingham, England is set to kick-start the event.

Which teams will compete in the ICC World Test Championship?

The nine top-ranked sides in the world will compete in the championship, with each side playing six series on a home-and-away basis against mutually selected opponents in the two-year cycle.

How will the winner of the ICC World Test Championship be decided?

The top two sides will contest in the ICC World Test Championship final in England in June 2021 to decide the champion.

What will be the points system in the ICC World Test Championship?

Every series in the championship will be worth 120 points, irrespective of the number of Tests. Therefore, a team can score a maximum of 720 points in a cycle.

What will be India's schedule for the ICC World Test Championship?

India will begin their campaign in the championship with the two-match Test series against the West Indies starting August 22.

Here is India's full schedule for the championship.

August-September 2019

West Indies (Away) - 2 Tests

October 2019

South Africa (Home) - 3 Tests

November 2019

Bangladesh (Home) - 2 Tests

February-March 2020

New Zealand (Away) - 2 Tests

November 2020-January 2021

Australia (Away) - 4 Tests

Promoted

January-March 2021

England (Home) - 5 Tests