ICC Rankings: Ahead of WTC Final, India dethrones Australia as number one-ranked Test team

India and Australia will lock horns in the ICC World Test Championship Final on June 7. Ahead of it, the former has displaced the latter as the number one-ranked Test side in the ICC Rankings.

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India has overtaken Australia to regain the number one position in the ICC men's Test team rankings following the annual update that drops results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all series completed since May 2020. India's rating points have moved from 119 to 121 as its 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in March 2020 no longer figures in the rankings, which assesses series completed before May 2022 at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 per cent.

India was last at the top for a month in December 2021. Australia has slipped from 122 to 116 rating points as their home series wins over Pakistan (2-0) and New Zealand (3-0) in 2019-20 no longer figure in the rankings, while its 4-0 win over England in 2021-22 has its weighting halved to 50 per cent.

Australia, which takes on India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 at The Oval in London from June 7, has been the top-ranked Test side since January 2022. It grabbed the position with the 4-0 series win over England that helped it overtake New Zealand. England remains in third position, but the gap between it and the second-placed side is reduced from 13 to two rating points owing to some consistent performances in recent months and reduced weightage of its 4-0 Ashes defeat and a 1-0 failure in the West Indies.

The other rankings, too, remain unchanged though 10th-placed Zimbabwe has gained five rating points. Afghanistan and Ireland need to play more Tests to earn a place in the rankings table.

In the men's T20I team rankings, India has consolidated its position at the top, increasing its lead over second-placed England from six to eight points. New Zealand has overtaken Pakistan and South Africa to the third position. The annual update to the One-Day International ODI team rankings will be carried out on May 10 after the ongoing Pakistan-New Zealand series.

(With inputs from PTI)