India's Number One Test Ranking On The Line Ahead Of West Indies Series

Team India, who are currently the number one Test team in the world, will find their top spot in line ahead of the series against West Indies starting from August 22. New Zealand who play Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series starting tomorrow will be on the verge of dethroning India and occupy the pinnacle spot.

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Meanwhile, the introduction of the ICC World Test Championship will give meaning to the bilateral series apart from only hampering the rankings. The two-year-long Championship kickstarted with the Ashes series and the upcoming between New Zealand and Sri Lanka and India, and West Indies will also fall under the championship. The Black Caps will have a chance to leapfrog Virat Kohli & Co and occupy the top spot if they manage to win the first Test starting from August 14.

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Currently, New Zealand are only two points below India in the ICC Test Rankings. If they beat the Island Nation in the first Test, they will overtake them to occupy the top spot for a brief period. However, the Kiwis can make the spot theirs if India fails to win the series against West Indies.

What are the scenarios?

If New Zealand finish on a winning note against Sri Lanka in the first Test, they will briefly leapfrog India to the top spot in the Test rankings. However, if India can continue their winnings streak and emerge victorious in their first Test against West Indies, they will reclaim their spot. As far as the results are concerned, here are different scenarios:

1. New Zealand lose the series by 0-1 or 0-2 and India win the series

New Zealand will go down to the fourth position below South Africa and England while India will retain its position at the top of the ICC Rankings.

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2. Both series end in a draw

Both India and New Zealand will lose two points each coming down to 111 and 109 points respectively, and there will be no change in rankings either if both the series culminate in a draw.

4. Both New Zealand and India lose the series

If this happens, South Africa will benefit the most, and they will go to the top of the table without even playing any match. India will come down to the second position while New Zealand will slump to fourth. However, this is very unlikely to happen.

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5. New Zealand win the series by 1-0 or 2-0 and India lose the series by 1-0 or 2-0

In this case, New Zealand will easily conquer the top position while the Asian Giants will go below South Africa in the third position.