Dubai: India lost the top spot Friday in the ICC Test rankings to Australia. They dropped to third position after their stupendous 2016-17 record was eliminated from the annual update as per rules.
This is the first time since 2016 that India have relinquished their top position in the ICC Test rankings. However, India continued to lead the ICC World Test Championships (WTC). The WTC is a league comprising six series played by each of the top nine sides.
Enviable achievement
During the 2016-17 season, Virat Kohli’s men had won all five series. Among those there were series against both England and Australia. The latest update rates all the matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent.
Australia not only moved to the top of the Test rankings but also grabbed the No1 spot in the T20I list for the first time. England continued to lead the men’s ODI rankings after the annual update.
Small margin
Australia now have 116 points and are followed by New Zealand (115) and India (114). Only two points are separating the top three teams. This is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003. The closest for the top three teams was in January 2016. India then had led Australia and South Africa by a single point.
ODI rankings
In the ODI rankings, reigning World Champions England (127) have increased their lead over India from six to eight points. New Zealand remain in third place, three points behind India. The top 10 rankings remain unchanged.
Many changes in T20I rankings
In contrast, the updated T20I team rankings see plenty of changes. Australia (278) top the list for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2011. England have moved into second position with 268 points while India are up one place to third, just two behind. Pakistan occupy the fourth position with 260 points.
PTI