AUS v IND 2018-19: Virat Kohli's men must avoid series whitewash to retain their no.1 Test ranking

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins with the first Test at Adelaide from December 6.

Despite losing overseas, India has had a long run as the no.1 Test side in the world | AFP

In order to retain their current position as the no.1 side in the ICC Test rankings by the end of the four-match series down under, the Virat Kohli led visiting side must avoid a 4-0 whitewash at the hands of Australia.

Currently sitting comfortably at the top with 116 rating points, India can remain at the current position even if it's able to draw a game somewhere.

"A 4-0 series win for Australia will move them into No 1 position in Test rankings; India needs to draw one Test to retain top spot," the ICC reaffirmed through a statement releasing the latest update.

Australia is ranked 5th by the ICC in Tests, at the moment. Hence, losing a series to a side lower to them with a substantial margin can inflict a lot of damage to the statistical status of the Indian Cricket Team.

On the other hand, if India wins 4-0, they'll move up to 120 and Australia will further be drowned to just 97 rating points in the table.

The official release also emphasized the scenario, reading, "This difference of 14 points means India is expected to win the series comfortably and their failure to do so will result in the Asian side losing points."

However, if the series result is reversed, then Australia will move to numero uno position on 110 points and India will slip to third on 108 points (0.065 behind England). For India to successfully defend the top ranking, they will have to draw at least one of the four Tests to happen at Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.

A 3-0 series result in Australia's favor will mean that Kohli's men will be on 109 points and the home side will be on 108 points, while a 3-1 series win for Australia will mean that they finish with 107 points and India is then going to finish at 111 points.

The Border-Gavaskar kickstarts with the first Test at Adelaide from Thursday, December 6.

(Inputs from ICC)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 04 Dec, 2018

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