Australia dethroned India on 1st May 2020 to become the number 1 test team in the world for the first time since 2016. India not only lost the top position but also slipped to number 3. However, the point variation among the top 3 teams is not massive. Australia has 116 rating points, New Zealand has 115, and India has 114 points. So, once cricket resumes, we can see a quick reshuffling of rankings.
Every year, the ICC does an annual update on team rankings which are based on a 4-year cycle till May every year. Till the time India was number one, the ranking included the time period of May 2016 to April 2019. It must be noted that during the 2016-17 period, India won 12 tests and lost only one. This played a crucial role in India maintaining the number 1 ranking. However, in the last 2 years, India has played the majority of games overseas and lost a large fraction of them, the latest defeat was a humiliating 2-0 loss at the hands of New Zealand.
The number one ranking is a massive success for Australia which was effectively rebuilding post that disastrous ball-tampering scandal. Justin Langer, in particular, must be really satisfied given all the hard work he has put in this set-up.
Post the new-ranking announcement, Langer said, "When we started on this journey, there had been a lot of talk about Australia wanting to be the number 1 team in all formats of the game. We took a different approach. Not once did we talk about the number 1 ranked in the world. We wanted to be number 1 in our values and processes."
Langer believes that winning against India in India is the pinnacle and they want to achieve it in order to justify their position.
Australia also became the number one side in T20I for the first time in their history. Its good news for their fans given the T20 World Cup is scheduled for this year and a number 1 ranking is indicative of their good performance in this format.
For India, it's a reality check. They have been a really good team but their performances overseas except in that test series against Australia have been pretty ordinary. With the kind of team they have now, they must do a whole lot better.
If cricket continues, the series between India and Australia in December 2020 could pan out to be one of the best test series of this decade.
Check here the newly updated list | ICC Test Rankings
