Justin Langer Reveals His Top Target After Australia Dethrone India As No. 1 Test Team

Australia’s head coach Justin Langer is ecstatic over the fact that Australia have dethroned India as the Number 1 Test team in the world and has revealed his next big target as the head coach. Langer has said that his next mission will now be to beat India in India which isn’t a straightforward task, considering the kind of form team India has been in Test cricket over the last couple of years.

India were dethroned by Australia from the top spot in Tests for the first time since October 2016 while Pakistan lost their No. 1 ranking in T20Is after 27 months at the top.  In the ICC’s annual rankings update released on Friday, the Tim Paine-led side has jumped to the top of the Test standings ahead of New Zealand and India, with just two points separating the top three teams.

Australia’s head coach Justin Langer is happy with the top spot and has set sights on his next mission which will be a herculean task.

Justin Langer Reveals His Top Target After Australia Dethrone India As The Number 1 Test Team

“We recognise how fluid these rankings are, but at this time it was certainly nice to put a smile on our faces,” Langer was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “Certainly, a goal for us has been the World Test Championship … but ultimately, we have to beat India in India and we’ve got to beat them when they come back [to Australia],” he added

“You can only judge yourself as being the best if you beat the best and we’ve got some really tough opposition to come,” Langer further said.

Justin Langer took over the side when they were under considerable pressure due to the ball-tampering scandal that led to the bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

We’ve Done Well As A Team On And Off The Field: Justin Langer

Australia have showcased glimpses of their vintage self over the last 12 months with the Ashes win, and series whitewashes against Pakistan and New Zealand at home. “We’ve got lots of work to do to get to be the team that we want to be, but hopefully over the last couple of years not only have we performed well on the field, but also off the field,” Langer said.

Although the Men in Blue lost the top spot to Australia in the ICC Test Team Rankings, they still dominate the ICC World Test Championship points table. Team India are currently the number one ranked team in the Test championship points table with 360 points in nine games followed by Australia, New Zealand, and England in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spot.

Also Read: Explained: How Australia Dethroned India As No.1 Team In Tests Despite No Action Going On Right Now