- By Sports desk
- Fri, 01 May 2026 05:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Indian cricket team has moved up to third place in the latest ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings after the annual update. This change also saw India go past England, mainly because of how older match results were reweighted.
As part of the ICC’s annual update, all matches played since May 2025 are counted fully, while older results now carry only 50 per cent weight. This adjustment has led to changes in the rankings just below the top two teams.
Australia on Top
Australia continue to stay at the top with 131 rating points and have slightly improved their lead. South Africa, the current World Test Champions, are steady in second place with 119 points.
How India become third in the tally?
The biggest change came in the fight for third place. India have climbed to 104 points, moving ahead of England, who dropped to fourth with 102 points. England lost points as some of their earlier strong results, including wins against New Zealand and South Africa at home and a series win in Pakistan, now carry less weight in the updated system.
Elsewhere in the rankings, Pakistan have moved above Sri Lanka due to the reshuffling of older results. The rest of the top 10 remains the same, with West Indies, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe filling the remaining spots.
Why Ireland dropped out of the rankings?
Ireland have dropped out of the rankings this time because they did not play enough Test matches during the evaluation period.
India sixth in WTC 2025–27 cycle
Even though India are now third in the ICC Test rankings, they are currently sixth in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle with a points percentage of 48.15. This is due to losses at home against South Africa and a series defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Australia lead the WTC table with 87.50 per cent, followed by New Zealand in second place with 77.78 per cent.