All the sporting action has come to a halt around the world due to the havoc created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Not just cricket but all the other sports have been stopped. In the recent news in the world of cricket, team India lost its No.1 Test ranking. Australia took over the pole position. India slipped to No.3, behind New Zealand that maintained its second rank. Australia now has 116 rating points while New Zealand and India follow with a difference of one point each.
The Virat Kohli-led side was leading the rankings for over 3 years. Now you must be wondering that if there has been no cricket for weeks, then how did India slip in the rankings? It’s because of the way ICC‘s algorithm works to determine the rankings. India had attained the top rank in October 2016 and since then, it remained on top for about 43 months.
But a major factor in that ranking was India’s dominance in the season of 2016-17. From May 2016 to April 2017, India won 12 out of 17 Tests and lost just one while 4 ended in a draw. This was the most number of Tests won by any team in that duration. But the current annual ranking update doesn’t consider that period anymore. It starts from May 2017 and India’s dominant record doesn’t carry a weightage in the rankings now.
Still on top of the World Test Championship points table
Even though team India lost the pole spot in the rankings, yet they continue to be on top of the table in the World Test Championship. With 360 points from 4 series, they are ahead of the second-placed Australia that has 296 points from 3 series. However, before the Championship started, India had lost 4-1 in England. Their recent 2-0 loss to New Zealand also contributed to their decline in the Test rankings.
Nonetheless, there are only 2 points that separate India from top-ranked Australia. Kohli & Co. have a chance of reclaiming the No.1 rank. If cricket resumes in the coming months, India is scheduled to tour Australia later this year. There have been reports of the teams playing 5 Tests instead of 4 to cover up for the losses due to the pandemic. When India toured Australia the last time, they managed to win the series 2-1 which was their first win on Australian soil.
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