India lose top spot as ICC reverses Test rankings within hours; Australia retake top position

Australia recaptured the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings and dethroned India in a series of dramatic events. In a recent change to the Men’s Test Team Rankings, the ICC replaced India with their Border-Gavaskar Trophy adversaries, Australia, to everyone’s astonishment.

Australia are presently in first place with 3668 points after 29 matches with a rating of 126, while India have fallen to second with a rating of 115. India has participated in 32 matches and accumulated 3,690 points.

Earlier in the day, India occupied the top position in all three forms following an update to the ICC rankings.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023
India and Australia are now involved in an intriguing arm-wrestle as India are hosting the Kangaroos for a four-match Test series at home. As a result of their victory in the first Test in Nagpur, India currently lead the series 1-0.

India’s spin assault, led by the spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin destroyed the Australian batting order. Except for the duo of Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, only wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey could withstand India’s spin assault.
The ineffectiveness of the remaining Australian batsmen allowed India to grab an early lead un the series. For India, skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front and smashed a match-winning tonne. In addition to that, both Jadeja and Axar Patel got fifties and helped India gain a substantial lead of 223 after the end of their first innings.

After being knocked out for 177 in their first innings, Australia failed to make any significant improvement in their second innings and were decimated by Ashwin’s five-wicket haul, which gave India a decisive victory. In their second innings, the Pat Cummins-led team was dismissed for 91 runs. India will face the visitors in the second Test beginning on February 17 in Delhi.