India dethrone Australia to become World No. 1 in Tests ahead of WTC final

India have dethroned Australia at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings just ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

India and Australia are set to compete in the 2021-23 WTC final, which is scheduled to begin on June 7 at The Oval, London.

“India’s rating points have moved up from 119 to 121 as their 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in March 2020 no longer figures in the rankings, which assesses series completed prior to May 2022 at 50 per cent and subsequent series at 100 per cent. India were last at the top for a month in December 2021.

“Australia have 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 their 4-0 win over England in 2021-22 has its weighting halved to 50 per cent,” read ICC’s statement.

Pat Cummins-led Australia were the No. 1 Test side since January 2022. They retained the top spot after their 4-0 win over England in The Ashes which helped them overtake New Zealand.

While England remain at third place, the gap between the second and the third place has reduced from 13 to two rating points, courtesy of Ben Stokes and Co’s consistent performances in recent months.

India were last ranked No. 1 in Tests for a month in December 2021.

Meanwhile, in the ICC T20I Men’s Team Ranking, India have retained their top spot, increasing their lead over second-placed England from six to eight points. New Zealand, on the other hand, have surpassed Pakistan and South Africa to the third spot in the latest rankings.

“The biggest ratings jumps are by Hong Kong (up three places to 18th) and USA (up three places to 22nd). Oman and Papua New Guinea are down two places each to 20th and 21st, respectively, while Singapore have slipped six places to 36th.

“In all, 84 countries are now ranked, having played the minimum requirement of six T20I matches over the past three years,” read ICC’s statement.