India moved into second place in the ICC Test Championship table after beating South Africa in the four-Test series 3-0, in Delhi, on Monday.
The series result gave Virat Kohli’s side 10 points, which lifted it from 100 points to 110 and ahead of Australia and Pakistan, who slipped a place each to third and fourth respectively.
Hashim Amla’s side retained the number-one Test ranking but their lead at the top was slashed from 16 points to just four points.
India has no more Test matches before the annual April 1 cut-off date, but third-ranked Australia will host eighth-ranked West Indies in a three-Test series from December 10, sixth-ranked New Zealand will go head to head with seventh-ranked Sri Lanka also from December 10, while fifth-ranked England will travel to South Africa for a four-Test series, which starts in Durban on December 26.
To finish as the number-one ranked Test side at the annual cut-off date, South Africa will have to, at least, draw the series with England. Failure to do so will result in them falling from the top and handing the number-one position to Australia, provided they win the series against the West Indies 3-0.
ICC Test Championship points (as on December 7, after the conclusion of India-South Africa Test series)
1 South Africa, 114 points
2 India, 110
3 Australia, 109
4 Pakistan, 106
5 England 99
6 New Zealand 95
7 Sri Lanka 93
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 47
10 Zimbabwe 5
