ICC Test Rankings: India rises to third, Australia stays on top after annual update

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) The Indian cricket team has moved up to third place in the latest ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings following the annual update, overtaking England in a shift driven by the recalibration of match weightings.

The annual rankings update, which factors in all matches played since May 2025 at full value and reduces the impact of older results to 50 per cent, has reshaped the standings just below the top two.

Australia remains firmly at the top with 131 rating points, extending their dominance with a slight three-point gain. Right behind them, reigning World Test Champions South Africa also held steady at second place, improving to 119 points.

The key change came in the battle for third place. India climbed one spot to reach 104 points, pushing past England, who dropped to fourth with 102 points after losing the benefit of several earlier series results. Those included past home wins against New Zealand and South Africa, along with a series sweep in Pakistan, which have now fallen outside the full-weightage window.

Further down the table, Pakistan moved ahead of Sri Lanka, benefiting from the removal or reduced impact of older defeats. The rest of the top 10 remains unchanged, with West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe completing the list.

The update also saw Ireland drop out of the rankings due to insufficient matches in the evaluation period, highlighting the importance of consistent participation in Test cricket for maintaining standings.

Meanwhile, despite securing third position in the annual rankings update, India currently remains at sixth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle with just 48.15 PCT as they lost the home series against South Africa and Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) on Australian soil in the ongoing cycle. Australia is placed at the top with 87.50 PCT, with New Zealand grabbing the second spot with 77.78 PCT.

–IANS

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