Can India Become the Number One Team in Test Cricket?
Published - 27 Aug 2021, 05:03 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:52 AM
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It wasn’t long ago that there were concerns in India about whether the nation will deprioritise Test cricket to concentrate on the shorter formats of the game. Recent results for the team certainly prove that will not be the case.
India are second in the ICC Test rankings behind New Zealand. They will have the number one spot in their sights now and it is something they could achieve by 2022.
Victory in England Shows How Versatile this Team is
Virat Kohli’s side will be buoyed following their victory over England in the Second Test of their series at Lord’s. India have had a poor record in England, particularly in Test cricket, but they were excellent at the Home of Cricket.
The visitors dismissed the home team for 120 in the second innings on the final day in London. This was enough for them to prevail by 151 runs. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah ripped through to the England batting order to record the famous win.
India are odds-on in the cricket betting at 8-13 to convert their lead into a series success with Three matches still go. They will take on England at Headingley, the Oval and then finally Old Trafford.
The success at Lord’s will give India a lot of confidence as they have often struggled in overseas Test matches. Conditions are much different to what they are used to in India but it appears this particular team are able to adapt their game very well.
Defeat In Test World Championship Final
India came very close to success in the inaugural Test World Championship. They were beaten by eight wickets in the final by New Zealand.
It was India who finished top of the league standings before the final. They won five of their six series in the competition in what was an impressive campaign. Victories came over West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia and England.
India will be hoping to go one place between during the 2021-23 tournament. The current series against England is part of the Test World Championship. They will then host New Zealand in what is going to be a huge series when it comes to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Quality in Depth
You only have to look at the ICC players rankings to see how much depth India have to their Test team. Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant sit inside the top 10 of the batting rankings. It would be no surprise if Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara joined them in the near future.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the second highest ranked bowler in Test cricket behind only Pat Cummins. Alongside Bumrah and Shami, it is a bowling attack which would cause any team in the world problems.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin are also third and fourth respectively in the all-rounder rankings. They are both equally as dangerous with the bat and ball.
The future is certainly bright for this India Test team. If they don’t reach the summit of the rankings, they have at least proven that Test cricket is alive and well in India.