How can India retain their Number 1 Test team rank?

India retain their Number 1 Test team rank: The Indian Test team will have to be careful about their No. 1 rank in the format.

The Test series of the ongoing India’s tour of West Indies will commence from August 22 in Antigua. The series will also be the first of the recently launched ICC Test Championship for both West Indies and India.

Talking of other formats, India whitewashed West Indies 3-0 in the T20I series. With only one ODI remaining, a 1-0 lead in the ODI series means that India can’t lose the ODI series either.

Irrespective of the result of the third ODI, the Test series will allure plentiful eyeballs primarily because of West Indies beating England in their last series at home. If the hosts put on display a similar all-round performance, expect them to put forward a daunting task even against the No. 1 ranked team in India.

As far as India’s top rank is considered, it could be in a spot of bother especially if they lose the first Test and New Zealand win the first Test of their tour of Sri Lanka starting from tomorrow at Galle.

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Currently, there is a minor difference between the Top Three Test teams. While India are at No. 1 with 111 points, New Zealand are at No. 2 with 109 points and South Africa are at No. 3 with 108 points.

How can India retain their Number 1 Test team rank?

If New Zealand win the first Test, they will displace India as the top-ranked Test team. Even a draw in Antigua won’t help India’s case then. If New Zealand win the two-match series 2-0, even India will have to win both the matches to retain their No. 1 rank.

More wild weather 😯#galle pic.twitter.com/c6XOUUgKiE

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) August 13, 2019

Even if New Zealand lose one out of the two Tests, they will have a chance to become No. 1 provided India doesn’t win any match. If both India and New Zealand fail to win a solitary Test, South Africa will become the No. 1 team.

Therefore, in a bid to retain their top rank, India need to make sure that they win as many matches as New Zealand in the upcoming two Test series.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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