New Delhi, May 3: Australia, victors over India in the ICC World Test Championship final last year, have surged back to the top spot in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings following the annual update. This update drops results from the 2020-21 season and incorporates all series completed since May 2021.

With 124 rating points, Australia now lead the table, closely trailed by India, who relinquished their top position and sit just four points behind. England holds third place, trailing India by 15 points, while South Africa occupies the fourth spot with 103 points, joining the elite group above the 100-point mark.

India's slip in rankings can be attributed primarily to their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2020-21, which has been dropped from the rankings.

The rankings of teams from third to ninth remain unchanged. Afghanistan and Ireland are yet to play sufficient Tests, thus not featured in the rankings, while Zimbabwe, having played only three Tests over the past three years, is also excluded.

Teams must play a minimum of eight Tests over a three-year period to qualify for the rankings table.

Despite their setback in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final against Australia, India maintains their dominance atop the ODI and T20I rankings. Their lead over Australia has widened from three to six points, with India topping the table with 122 points. No changes are observed in the top 10, but Ireland has surpassed Zimbabwe to claim the 11th position.

In the T20I rankings, Australia has surpassed England to secure the second spot, trailing India by seven points. South Africa's leap of two places from sixth to fourth has narrowed the gap with England to just two points. New Zealand and the West Indies closely follow with 250 and 249 points, respectively, highlighting the tight competition between third and sixth place.

In other developments, Pakistan has slipped two places to seventh, while Scotland has overtaken Zimbabwe to claim the 12th position.

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