India climb to No. 2 in ICC Test rankings

India have moved up to the second place in the ICC Rankings and Test Championship table after winning the four-Test series against South Africa by 3-0.

The series result has helped Virat Kohli’s side gain 10 points, which has lifted it from 100 points to 110 points, ahead of Australia and Pakistan who have slipped one place each to third and fourth, respectively.

Hashim Amla’s side has retained its number-one Test ranking but its lead at the top has been slashed from 16 points to just four.

India have no more Test matches before the annual 1st April cut-off date, but third-ranked Australia will host eighth-ranked West Indies in a three-Test series from 10 December, sixth-ranked New Zealand will go head to head with seventh-ranked Sri Lanka also from 10 December, while fifth-ranked England will travel to South Africa for a four-Test series that will start in Durban on 26 December.

To finish as the number-one ranked Test side at the annual cut-off date, South Africa will have to, at least, draw the series with England. Its failure to do so will result in it falling from the top pedestal and handing the number-one position to Australia (provided they win the series against the West Indies 3-0).

www.ibnlive.com/cricketnext/news/india-c...over-sa-1173848.html

When people look at the rankings that the ICC have in terms of world cricket, in all formats of the game I don't think people can argue to much with the placings of the countries.

When you look at the FIFA world rankings in regard to soccer, the ICC are certainly doing a better job than they are anyway.

Thanks for sharing that. I didn't realise that India weren't playing again for a while and that Australia were still in line to snatch the number one ranking. I hope my team can bounce back quickly and hang on to the top ranking.

I hope so too as one of my fave current teams !!!

Being a Lancashire and England fan from England, I try not to look to much on the rankings ad I find them all a bit depressing at the moment.

There's light at the end of the tunnel, just at the moment it is a very long tunnel...

www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-south-afric...nt/story/949799.html

"Rankings do not matter to me neither do they matter to the particular squad right now,"

I have never seen SA being rampaged in such a manner, much of this having to do with Kholi's very good Captaincy.

The Indians exerted exceptional prowess in the field and I see Kholi is putting some faith in Yadav, a bowler I think can do exceptionally well.

That chappy, Ashwin, still seems to chuck it but perhaps being Indian exempts any possible breach of the 15° angle....

However well done to India, this was one of their most convincing series victory I can recall.

It's not all doom and gloom. On the Test front, England did move up to third in the rankings this summer after beating Australia. Given how hard it is to win overseas Test matches, the sides are all pretty much equal these days. England have also taken giant step forwards in the shorter formats of the game this year. They have completely overhauled the ODI and T20 teams and finally selected players on merit, not name recognition.

I don't think it has much to do with Kholi.

This is a very weak SA team. Faf du Pleiss, Elgar and van Zyl are all newbies who have never played in India and have little to no experience in subcontinent conditions. The entire South Africa top order thus rests hugely on Amla and ABDV. Throw in the fact that Steyn isn't playing, and you have a recipe for carnage.

In the first innings of the first test, India were atrocious. They barely made 200. Thanks to Ashwin and Jadeja's spin, however, India knocked South Africa off for less. But the South Africans also quickly picked up on the importance of crappy and part-time spinners, and knocked India out again for about 200. South Africa were set to win, but of course India's spin killed these hopes. The whole game was thus about who sucked less vs spin. No batsman did well.

The second game got washed out but looked like it would have played out the same way.

The third test? Exactly the same situation. India went in to bat, and no batsman did anything. They get bowled for about 200. SA go in, get bowled out cheaply again. Can't bat spin. India go in, same story; bowled out for less than 200. Can't bat spin. SA go in and Amla and ABDV try to block the meagre runs necessary. They fail and India win. Ashwin takes about 15 wickets in these 3 games, probably breaking some Anil Kumble spin records along the way.

Fourth test? Same story, except now one India batsman stands up: Rahane.

What this series showed is that nobody on either team can bat spin in these conditions, and that Rahane, Kohli, ABDV and Amla are nevertheless world class enough to, after 6 or so innings, slowly adapt to conditions. That ABDV and Amla's "adaptations" didn't lead to wins or good scores is probably due to fluke or freakish team pressures. Amla does average about 70 in India afterall. My guess is that captaincy pressures, plus bad starts by the top order plus the fact that he never faced a decent spinner like Ashwin at home before, lead to a meltdown.

This series shows you how fickle cricket is. Great bowlers or good bowlers in bowling friendly conditions absolutely confuse modern batsmen. This series had four of the best batsmen in the game, and they looked a mess. Aus were in a similar state in England. And if a guy like ABDV and Amla can get forced into a corner by the inept batting of the teammates batting above them, imagine how psychologically tough it must be for a middle order West Indian batsman.

I do, but your points are duly noted, with much gratitude.