India dislodge Pakistan from No. 1 ICC Test’s spot

TIL Desk Sports/ India today dislodged arch-rivals Pakistan to claim the numero uno spot in the ICC Test rankings following their series-clinching comprehensive 178-run win over New Zealand in the second cricket Test in Kolkata. India pulled off a brilliant all-round performance to trounce New Zealand in the second Test to clinch the three-Test series with an unassailable 2-0 lead which also propelled them to the top of the ICC rankings.

Virat Kohli’s men wrapped up the series-deciding victory on the fourth day of the match after setting the Black Caps a mammoth target of 376 runs to chase. India’s win over New Zealand in Kolkata has meant that it will be ranked number one on the ICC Test chart when it is updated at the conclusion of the ongoing series. India’s top spot is guaranteed irrespective of how the third and final Test in Indore, which will be played from 8-12 October, pans out.

Kohli’s side had entered the series against New Zealand trailing Pakistan by one point and needed to win the series to reclaim the number one position for the fourth time since the current rankings system was introduced in 2003. And India achieved this in style when it won the first Test in Kanpur by 197 runs and then dominated the Kolkata Test to romp home with nearly a day to spare. India has previously been at the top of the table from November 2009 to August 2011 and then briefly during January-February 2016 and in August 2016. To celebrate India’s number one Test ranking, it will be presented with the ICC Test Championship mace.