India rises to second in Test rankings

With the fourth and final Test in Adelaide ending in a draw on Monday, India has climbed to second place in the LG ICC Test Championship table despite losing the four-match series with Australia 2-1.

India had entered the series in fourth place, just behind South Africa and Sri Lanka, but South Africa's 2-1 series win over eighth-placed West Indies earlier this month relegated it to fourth position and put Sri Lanka second, a fraction of a ratings point ahead of India in third spot.

• Rediff Test rankings | Rediff ODI rankings

Following its historic 72-run victory in the third Test in Perth and the drawn match just finished in Adelaide, India has moved ahead of Sri Lanka and now sits in second place on 111 ratings points, two ahead of its south Asia rival and three in front of the Proteas.

Australia, which started the series on 143 ratings points, is still out in front by a distance despite losing two ratings points over the course of the series. Ricky Ponting's side won in Melbourne by 337 runs and in Sydney by 122 runs before the Perth defeat.

With just four ratings points separating second-placed India from fifth-placed England and plenty of Test cricket to be played over the next few months, reshuffling of the positions in the Test Championship table is very much on cards.

• A dream realised, says Tendulkar

In the immediate future, South Africa will tour Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will visit the West Indies. However, whatever may be the outcome of those two-Test series, India will retain its second place in the Championship table.

However, England will be the team that will get the first opportunity to take a shot at Anil Kumble's side and can jump from fifth to second if it clean sweeps the three-Test series against New Zealand.

South Africa will get its opportunity to reclaim the lost place when it tours India in March for a three-Test series. However, if India wins the series, it will widen the gap between it and both Sri Lanka and South Africa, with the latter to tour England in the English summer for a four-Test series.

LG ICC Test Championship (as of 28 January, 2008)