World Test Championship: England take top spot, India slip to 4th

England climbed to the summit of the ICC World Test Championship standings after their emphatic 227-run victory over India, who slipped to the fourth spot, in the series opener in Chennai on Tuesday.

Jack Leach and James Anderson shared seven wickets between them as the hosts were bundled out for 192 while chasing a record 420-run target with England taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli top-scored with a valiant 72 and opener Shubman Gill continued to impressed with 50, his third Test fifty, but Anderson’s reverse swing and Leach’s left-arm spin was more than a match for the Indian batsmen on the day.

With the win, England’s percentage points (PCT) surged to 70.2%, up from 68.7% before the first Test.

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New Zealand, who have already qualified for the final – scheduled to be played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in June – is second with 70.02%, followed by Australia with 69.2%. India is fourth with 68.3%.

However, England still have a long way to go to clinch their final berth, for which they need to win the series by 3-0, 3-1 or 4-0.

Meanwhile, India need a 2-1 or a 3-1 margin of victory to face New Zealand at the Lord’s final, while any other result will see Australia qualify. 

England’s win on Tuesday was their first in India since 2012 and their sixth away Test win. It also ended India’s 14-match unbeaten run at home, stretching back to 2017.