India finishes 2016 as No. 1

The 4-0 win has helped India a five-point surge to 120 in the last Test team rankings update of 2016, 15 points ahead of second placed Australia.

Published : Dec 20, 2016 17:14 IST

India was awarded the ICC Test Championship Mace on 11 October following a 3-0 home series sweep over New Zealand.

The fourth win in the series against England here has assured India the No. 1 Test rank in the ICC rankings till the end of 2016.

The 4-0 win gave the host a five-point surge to 120 in the last Test team rankings update of 2016, 15 points ahead of second placed Australia.

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England, which had started the series ahead of Australia by decimal points, slipped from second to fifth. It's now on 101 points, one behind Pakistan and South Africa.

The top-ranked side, on April 1, 2017, will receive USD 1 million. The second-placed side will be awarded USD 500,000 while the third and fourth placed sides will receive USD 200,000 and USD 100,000 each.

It's been an interesting year, with Australia, Pakistan and India holding the top rank between 21 August and 11 October.

The Virat Kohli-led side, which was awarded the ICC Test Championship Mace on 11 October following a 3-0 home series sweep over New Zealand, can’t be overtaken this year since the team rankings are updated only at the end of each Test series.

The next Test series to be completed is the ongoing one between Australia and Pakistan with the third and final Test slated in Sydney from January 3-7.