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On December 17th, the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings underwent a significant shift, with India ascending to the top. This change occurred despite India’s engagement in an ODI series against South Africa and was primarily due to Pakistan’s substantial defeat in their first Test against Australia in Perth. Pakistan, previously leading, lost by 360 runs, causing them to relinquish the top position to India, despite having an identical win percentage.
India, having triumphed in the first ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg, benefited from Pakistan’s loss to Australia in their first Test. Shan Masood’s team had entered the WTC 2023-25 cycle with a perfect record of two wins from two matches, but the Perth defeat dropped their win percentage to 66.67. India, having one win and a draw, matched this percentage. However, as India hasn’t lost a match in the current cycle, they now rank above Pakistan.
Interestingly, Australia, the defending champions, are currently fifth in the WTC standings despite winning three out of six matches in this cycle. Their record includes two defeats and a draw, all incurred during the Ashes earlier in the year. New Zealand and Bangladesh are tied for third place, each with one win and one loss. West Indies and England follow in sixth and seventh place, respectively, while Sri Lanka and South Africa have not yet participated in this phase of the WTC.
Looking ahead, India is set to face South Africa in a two-Test series starting on Boxing Day (December 26), presenting an opportunity for India’s first Test series victory in South Africa. A 2-0 series win would raise India’s win percentage to 83.33, while a 1-0 victory would maintain a 66.66 percentage.
Conversely, if Australia secures a 3-0 series win over Pakistan, they will achieve a win percentage of 66.66, potentially propelling Pat Cummins’ team to the top of the standings based on more matches won.
