India have overtaken Australia to regain the number one position in the ICC men’s Test team rankings following the annual update that drops results from the 2019–20 season and reflects all series completed since May 2020.
India’s rating points have moved up from 119 to 121 as their 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in March 2020 no longer figures in the rankings, which assess series completed prior to May 2022 at 50 percent and subsequent series at 100 percent.
India was last at the top for a month in December 2021.
Australia has slipped from 122 to 116 rating points as their home series wins over Pakistan (2-0) and New Zealand (3-0) in 2019–20 no longer figure in the rankings, while their 4-0 win over England in 2021–22 has its weighting halved to 50 percent. Australia, who take on India in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 at The Oval on June 7, have been the top-ranked Test side since January 2022. They grabbed the position with the 4-0 series win over England that helped them overtake New Zealand.
England remain in third position, but the gap between them and the second placed side is reduced from 13 to two rating points owing to some consistent performances in recent months as well as reduced weightage of their 4-0 Ashes defeat and a 1-0 defeat in the West Indies.
The other rankings, too, remain unchanged, though 10th-placed Zimbabwe has gained five rating points. Afghanistan and Ireland have yet to play enough Tests to earn a place in the rankings table.
In the men’s T20I team rankings, India have consolidated their position at the top, increasing their lead over second-placed England from six to eight points. New Zealand has overtaken Pakistan and South Africa to third place.
The annual update to the ODI team rankings will be carried out on May 10 after the ongoing Pakistan-New Zealand series.