India topples New Zealand to become No.1 Test side
India thrashed England by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth Test to register a 3-1 series win. With this win, India not only booked a spot in the World Test Championship final by finishing on top of WTC Points Table but also became the number one Test side in the world with 122 rating points, toppling New Zealand who had 118 points.
India finished the league phase of the inaugural World Test Championship with 72.2 percentage points. India won 12, drew one and lost just four matches, and collected 520 points from six series — three each at home and overseas.
Just like the latest Test team rankings, New Zealand finished behind India in the Test championship standings as well with 70 percentage points and a total of 420 points after five series.
Australia, with 69. 2 percentage points, finished third in the Test championship table while England finished below them with 61.4 percentage points.
“That victory against England means India finish the league phase of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship with a fine view from the top of the table,” the ICC tweeted.
India’s only Test series loss in the league phase of the Test Championship came away to New Zealand where they failed to win any matches and lost the series 0-2. However, India bounced back from that series defeat by beating Australia in their own backyard before outclassing England at home to secure a spot in the final. What was common in both the series was that India began the series with a huge loss but bounced back strongly to register series wins on both occasions.
India will face New Zealand in the summit clash of the inaugural World Test Championship, which is scheduled to be held at the Lord’s in June.
This post was published on March 7, 2021 5:00 pm