India can rise to No 2 in ICC Test rankings ahead of SA

Dubai: India can pip South Africa to second position in the ICC Test rankings if they manage to win their ongoing home series against the West Indies 3-0 and provided Graeme Smith`s side loses the upcoming two-Test rubber against Australia.

South Africa trails top-ranked England by seven ratings points but leads third-ranked India by just one rating point. Australia is fourth on 104 ratings points. The maximum third-ranked India can rise from its series against the West Indies is to 119 ratings points which it can only achieve if it wins all the three Test matches. A 2-0 series win will India on 118 ratings points while a 1-0 or 2-1 series win will keep them on 117 ratings points. A 0-1 series loss against Australia will leave South Africa on 112 ratings points while in case of a 0-2 series defeat, the Proteas will join Australia on 110 ratings points but will be ranked above Michael Clarke`s side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. Graeme Smith`s side, in contrast, can reduce the gap with top-ranked England to just three ratings points if it wins both the Tests. South Africa`s victory by a 1-0 margin will ensure that they stay ahead of India irrespective of how India`s series against the West Indies pans out. South Africa finds itself in a must-win situation against Australia, if it wants to retain its number-two position in the Test championship table. In the Test Player Rankings, the positions of iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who will be looking to score his 100th international century, and seasoned campaigner Rahul Dravid remained unchanged at number 5 and 10 respectively. South Africa`s Jacques Kallis and Sri Lanka`s Kumar Sangakkara are sitting on top of the batting table while England`s captain Alastair Cook is in third place. Kallis also leads the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders. In the bowling chart, India`s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan`s position at number 6 remained unchanged. South Africa`s Dale Steyn leads the list followed by England`s James Anderson. PTI