The ICC recently altered the point system of the ongoing Test Championship, when they decided to rank teams "in order of percentage of points earned" from the contested matches. Australia (296 points from 3 series) toppled India (360 points from 4 series) in the standings after the revision with a percentage of 82.22 compared to India's 75 percent.

In a virtual press conference on eve of the first ODI against Australia, Virat Kohli, seemingly livid, said that the ICC decision is "surprising" and "difficult" to comprehend.

"It is definitely surprising because we were told that points are a matter of contention for the top two teams qualifying in World Test championships and now suddenly it has become percentage out of nowhere, so it is confusing and difficult to understand why," Kohli said.

Australia leapfrogs India after ICC changes points system for World Test Championship

"... if these things were explained to us from day one then it would have been easier to understand the reason why such a change has happened. But it happened out of nowhere and I think further questions need to be asked to the ICC to understand why this has been done and what are the reasons behind it," he added.

ICC cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the cancellation of multiple bilateral series as the reason for the change. ICC said that just under half of the World Test Championship matches have been played, with that "estimated to rise to more than 85 percent by the end of the competition window."

According to current regulations, incomplete matches are treated as a draw but after due deliberation, the ICC Cricket Committee, headed by Anil Kumble, recommended that the final WTC standings should be determined on the basis of matches played, which was approved by the Board.

With India scheduled to play four Tests in Australia and then host England for five Tests, the results of the two series will decide the finalists of the inaugural WTC.

(PTI inputs)