Visitors top ICC table as hosts fall to fourth
INDIA on Tuesday (9) slipped to fourth in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) rankings after losing to England in the first Test in Chennai, as the visitors kept their hopes of making the final of the inaugural event alive.
Set a world record target of 420 to win, India were bowled out for 192 in the second session despite captain Virat Kohli’s 72 off 104 balls.
New Zealand (above) have already qualified for the WTC final, to be held at Lord’s later in the year. The Black Caps have won 70 per cent of their matches, with no other series scheduled.
The victory at Chepauk lifted England to first place and 70.2 percentage points on the table. They have improved their chances of securing one of the three series results in their favour that could see them through to the final 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0, the ICC said.
India had grabbed the top spot after their incredible series win Australia last month, but dropped to fourth in the table with 68.3 percentage points. They will now be looking to win at least two of the remaining three matches to secure a 2-1 or 3-1 result and a place in the final.
Australia will get to feature in a TransTasman summit clash if the India-England series is drawn or if England win 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0, the ICC said in the release issued shortly after England’s victory.
Pakistan’s 2-0 home win over South Africa saw them finish the series in fifth position with 43.3 percentage points, while South Africa slipped to sixth with 30.0 percentage points.
West Indies are seventh with 23.8 percentage points after their epic victory in the first Test against Bangladesh, who are last on the table and yet to win a point.