DUBAI: India’s triumph against Australia in the opening Test in Nagpur has taken them to the top of the ICC’s Test rankings table, making them the No. 1 ranked team in all three formats.
Team India recently clinched the World No.1 ODI team spot after defeating New Zealand 3-0 in January, to go with their No. 1 T20I ranking.
India must win the second Test against Australia in Delhi, which begins on February 17, to maintain their lead in the Test rankings and come closer to qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June. To qualify for the final, India must win the series 3-1 or 3-0.
The second Test between India and Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy will take place in Delhi from February 17 onwards. Merely two sessions of play were needed to achieve a result on the third day of the first Test as India took a 1-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur.
After stretching their lead to over 200 runs, India bowled out Australia for 91 in about a session to win the Test by innings and 132 runs. Ravindra Jadeja was declared the Player of the Match for bowling figures of 7-81 and 70 runs with the willow.
Meanwhile, in the player’s rankings, India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is on the brink of returning to the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Bowler Rankings, while Ravindra Jadeja also jumped higher after their joint demolition of Australia.
Ashwin ensured India wrapped up their stunning victory before tea on the third day, as the veteran off-spinner took 5/37 in the second innings to go with 3/42 earlier in the match. The 36-year-old has climbed to the second spot in the Test bowler rankings, 21 rating points behind Australia captain Pat Cummins and a return to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2017.
Jadeja then took 2/34 in the second innings to partner with Ashwin as the spin twins quickly dismissed Australia’s top seven batters and left them reeling at 67/7 on the way to being all out for just 91. Jadeja is in 16th place among bowlers in ICC Test Player Rankings for men.
India captain Rohit Sharma has been rewarded for his match-defining ton in Nagpur with a rise from 10th to 8th in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. Rohit came to the crease after Australia were all out for 177 in their first innings, then made the wicket look all but tame with an assured 120 that set the tone for the rest of the match.
In contrast, Australia’s openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja have paid the price for each being dismissed cheaply twice. Warner has fallen six places to 20th after his scores of 1 and 10, while Khawaja has dropped two spots to 10th after only making 1 and 5 in the first Test against India. (ANI)