India has climbed to the top spot in the ICC’s annual Test rankings by pushing Australia to the top. After holding the top spot in the Test rankings for 15 months, Australia lost the throne. India has topped the ICC rankings released today with 121 rating points. Australia has dropped to two with 116 rating points.
The ICC has published this ranking list by considering the results of the series which were held from May 2020 to May last year, 50 percent, and the results of all the series completed from June last year till now 100 percent.
The India-Australia Test match has been a favorite of cricket fans for many years. The battle between the two teams has also accumulated in the Test ranking list. And it has created a great stage. India will face Australia in the Test Championship final at the Oval on June 7. Seeing India at the top of the Test rankings there, Steve Smith-Marnus Labuschenne will surely get a different urge to fight.
Before the publication of the ranking, Australia was at the top with 122 rating points. India was two points behind them by 3 points. Australia’s series wins at home against Pakistan and New Zealand in the 2019–20 season did not help in this ranking. However, in the 2021-22 season, Australia used 50 percent of their 4-0 win against England. Similarly, India’s 2–0 loss to New Zealand in March 2020 did not negatively impact the team rankings. Because the results of the series are considered from May 2020 onwards.
India last topped the Test rankings for almost a month in December 2021. And Australia was at the top from January 2022 until today’s updated ranking list was published. Pat Cummins’ side topped New Zealand by beating England in the Ashes Test series in January last year. India lost the Test series to South Africa and lost the top spot.
England has retained the third position in the ranking with 114 rating points. The position of other teams in the ranking has not changed. Tenth-ranked Zimbabwe gained 5 rating points. Ireland and Afghanistan did not get a place in the rankings due to not playing enough Tests.
India have strengthened their top position in the ICC T20 rankings. India’s 267 rating points have moved them up to 8th from the previous 6 points with England in second place. New Zealand has moved up to 3rd after dropping Pakistan to 4th. South Africa at five. Hong Kong and the United States have made the biggest jumps in this T20 ranking of teams. Both teams jumped three spots—Hong Kong moved up to 18th and the United States moved up to 22nd.
The annually updated list of ODI rankings of teams will be released on May 10 after the ongoing Pakistan-New Zealand series.
India preparing for test championship final.
After two long years of grueling competition, the inaugural ICC World Test Championship will finally come to a close in 2023 with the highly-anticipated final set to take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The final will see the top two ranked Test teams face off in a one-off match to determine who will be crowned the first-ever Test champions of the world.
The tournament, which began in 2019, saw nine of the world’s top Test-playing nations compete in a series of bilateral Test series, with each team playing six series over two years. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will now go head-to-head in the final, which is scheduled to take place in June 2023.
The current rankings suggest that India and England are the two teams most likely to qualify for the final, but with several series still to be played before the end of the qualifying period, anything could happen. Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are all still in contention, and any one of them could sneak into the final with a strong showing in their upcoming series.
The final itself promises to be a thrilling contest between two of the world’s most formidable Test teams. India, led by the mercurial Virat Kohli, boasts a strong batting line-up featuring the likes of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane, as well as a potent bowling attack presented by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
England, meanwhile, will be looking to make home advantage count, with the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer leading the charge. The hosts will be hoping that the Lord’s pitch plays to their strengths, with swing and seam bowling likely to be key factors in determining the outcome of the match.
Of course, in a one-off match, anything can happen. Both teams will need to perform at their very best if they are to emerge victorious, and the pressure of the occasion is likely to be intense. For the winning team, the title of Test champions of the world will be a fitting reward for two years of hard work and dedication, while for the losing team, the disappointment will be acute.
For fans of Test cricket, the final promises to be a fitting climax to what has been an exciting and enthralling tournament. The World Test Championship has breathed new life into the longest format of the game, and the final will provide a showcase for the very best Test cricket has to offer.
As we look ahead to the final in 2023, the excitement and anticipation are palpable. Who will emerge victorious? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: whoever does will have earned their place in the history books as the first-ever Test champions of the world.
