Team India head coach Ravi Shastri hailed Virat Kohli and the Co. for retaining the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings after the annual update on Thursday, May 13. India are on top of the team charts with New Zealand in 2nd spot.
The Indian team has been topping the charts since the year Shastri took over as the coach in 2017. The former India all-rounder took to social media to congratulate his team for not letting go of the top spot five years in a row.
“This team has shown steely resolve & unwavering focus to be crowned No. 1. It is something the boys have earned fair & square.
“Rules changed midway but #TeamIndia overcame every hurdle along the way. My boys played tough cricket in tough times. Super proud of this bindass bunch,” Shastri tweeted.
India have gained one rating point for an aggregate of 121 and New Zealand are only one point behind after gaining two points in Thursday’s update, which eliminates results from 2017-18. The latest update, which rates all matches played since May 2020 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, according to an ICC release.
Notably, India were able to retain the top spot, thanks to their famous 2-1 series win in Australia. India also hammered England at home 3-1, coming back from a massive defeat in the series opener in Chennai. New Zealand are at the 2nd spot after having beaten West Indies and Pakistan 2-0 at home.
India and New Zealand will soon face each other in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Rose Bowl in Southampton next month. They were the top-two teams to qualify for the summit clash after with India clinching 520 points (12 wins from 17 Tests) while New Zealand managed 420 (7 wins from 11 Tests).
