In a surprising turn of events, the Indian cricket team could soon become the number 1 Test team in the ICC Test Rankings. This will, of course, depend on the outcome of the ongoing South Africa vs England Test series.
South Africa, who have been on top of the rankings for over a year, have had a terrible year in the longest format of the game. After beating West Indies in a Test in the first week of the year, the Proteas failed to win any of the other 7 matches they played.
The Hashim Amla-led side drew 0-0 in Bangladesh in July, where they were a little unlucky with rain playing spoilsport. They then went visited India, where they had to endure a humilating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Virat Kohli and co.
Most cricket fans thought South Africa would put on a much improved performance against England at home on pitches that would favour them unlike the ones in India. But they failed to click in the first Test and lost by 241 runs.
The loss has given hope to the Indian cricket team, who are currently number 2 on the rankings. If England can register a series win over South Africa, then India would go to the top of the table. A draw or a South Africa win will see the Proteas remain at the summit.
If Australia fail to win their third Test against the West Indies, then India will be clear at the top of the rannkings. One expects, though, that the Steven Smith-led team will ease past the West Indians at Sydney to complete a 3-0 series win. Such a result will see India and Australia tied on the same rating, but the former will be ahead on decimal points.
South Africa could drop even further down the rankings if they lose to England by a big margin. While a 0-1, 1-2, 0-2 or 1-3 series loss will see South Africa drop below India and Australia to third, a 0-3 defeat will see them go down to fourth with Pakistan overtaking them. They could drop as low as fifth, below England, if they get whitewashed in this series.
For India, this could be the first time they go to the zenith of the rankings since 2011 when they lost it to England. It has been a remarkable turnaround for India this year, having managed to win just 1 Test in 2014.
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