Chance For India To Finish At Number 1 At The Annual 1 April Cut-Off Date During Australia Series
Feb 15, 2017 at 6:50 AM
After extending their winning run to eight Tests with an emphatic 208 runs victory over Bangladesh in the one-off Test and consolidating their position at the top of Test ranking, India will have a chance to finish the annual 1 April cut-off date as the best Test team in the world when they take on Australia in the upcoming four-match series.
Virat Kohli’s men gained one point after the win against Bangladesh and have now 121 points, 12 points more than second-placed Australia. India need to win just one of the four Tests to finish the yearly cut-off date as the number one team. Meanwhile, the visitors will have to inflict a 3-0 or 4-0 defeat on India to reclaim the top spot.
South Africa, who will be playing a three-match Test series against New Zealand next month, can also topple India but they will have to whitewash the Kiwis and pray that India do not win a single Test against the Aussies.
The side that tops the Test team rankings at the annual cut-off date collects a cash award of $1million, while the side that ends second receives $500K. Third and fourth-ranked sides receive $200K and $100K respectively. The Indo-Australia rivalry is already one of the fiercest rivalries in the game and now that both the teams have a chance to gain such a huge amount, the fans should gear up for another cracker of a series.
Meanwhile, in its press release, the International Cricket Council (ICC), has released a list of all the scenarios that can occur during the Border-Gavaskar series. The different permutations for India v Australia series are:
• India beats Australia 4-0 – India 125; Australia 105
• Australia beats India 4-0 – India 113, Australia 115
• India beats Australia 3-1 or 2-0 – India 123; Australia 107
• Australia beats India 3-1 or 2-0 – India 115; Australia 113
• India beats Australia 3-0 – India 124; Australia 106
• Australia beats India 3-0 – India 114; Australia 114 (ahead of India by a fraction)
• India beats Australia 2-1 – India 122; Australia 108
• Australia beats India 2-1 – India 117; Australia 112