Indian cricket team retains top spot in ICC Test Rankings

Cape Town, February 25: Indian cricket team retained the number one spot on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings which was released on Saturday and won a prize of $1 million after their victory in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa last month ensured that no team can move ahead of them in the Test rankings at the 3 April cut-off date.

 

Notably, India captain Virat Kohli was presented with the prestigious ICC Test Championship Mace as his team retained the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings on Saturday. India won the prize for a second year running and have now been at the top of the rankings since October 2016. They have also been at the top two times before under Kohli in January-February 2016 and in August 2016. India’s longest stint at the number-one position was from November 2009 to August 2011, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the captain.

On behalf of the ICC, the mace was presented by ICC Cricket Hall of Famers Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Pollock at a ceremony in Cape Town at the conclusion of India’s tour of South Africa. After receiving the mace, skipper Virat Kohli expressed delight and said, “It’s truly a great feeling to hold the ICC Test Championship mace again, which is an acknowledgment of our success in the truest format of the game.”

 

“We’re proud of the way we have performed in Test matches over the past couple of years and our performances have reflected in the rankings. The quality of a side is judged in the way players step up when needed, and that is what our boys have done time and again,” Virat Kohli added. 

He noted, “It is heartening to be at the top of the Test rankings in an era when it’s challenging to do consistently well across formats. But that is something that we have managed fairly well and something that I’d like my team to continue doing with their hard work and determination.”

“I’d like to thank all players who have been part of our squads during this period and also the support staff for contributing to our success and for helping out in different aspects of the game. I’d also like to thank all our fans for supporting us across the globe,” the Indian skipper concluded.

 

Importantly, the other captains to have received the mace are Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Steve Smith (all Australia), Andrew Strauss (England), Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla (both South Africa) and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan).