Rising to the Top

India’s Rise to the No. 1 Spot in the ICC Test Ranking Is a Culmination of a Process That Started Around Two Years Ago. Now, It’s Time to Consolidate the Gains.

- Chetan Narula

After the fourth Test at Trinidad and Tobago got washed out during India’s tour of the West Indies earlier this year, cricket chatter on social media gained some temperature. In an indirect way, an India–Pakistan clash played out, with the latter gaining the world No. 1 ranking in Test cricket for the first time ever.

India never had a shot at it after poor drainage facilities at the Queen’s Park Oval didn’t allow the match to proceed beyond the fi rst day. While Pakistan fans had every right to celebrate after managing a successful drawn series in England, it turned out that the Indian team management wasn’t even chasing the No. 1 ranking in the Caribbean.

“It’s a nice incentive, but it didn’t change anything for the team,” said skipper Virat Kohli, after the 2–0 series win, during which India became the No. 1 side in Test cricket for a one-week period. “To really become the best team in the world you need to play consistent cricket over a span of three to four years. This is a pretty immediate and short-term incentive.”

“We have played good cricket, that’s why we have climbed up the ranking; but, if you see, we have played a lesser number of games than the other teams. It’s only after we play a good number of games that we can be judged. We’ve played good cricket, but I think only at the end of the season we can look back to see how we have played and then figure out where we stand,” he added.