India at No.1 and 15 points ahead of No. 2 team in Test rankings

The 4-0 series win against England has helped India gain five ranking points to take them to 120 points in the last Test team rankings update of 2016, which is 15 points ahead of second-placed Australia. In complete contrast, England, who had started the series in second position, have slipped to the fifth position in the ICC Test rankings.

India have remained unbeaten in Tests in 2016, the only team to do so, and also secured series victories over West Indies, New Zealand, and England. India, who had achieved the number one status for the first time in 2009, had again reached the pinnacle after the series victory over West Indies.

With the final update in the rankings table, India will end the year at the top.

In fact, India are so far ahead of second-placed Australia that the Steve Smith-led team will need to complete a whitewash of the visiting Pakistan team and then defeat India by a 0-3 or 0-4 scoreline when they visit the subcontinent in February to wrest the No.1 position from the hosts. If Australia manage to defeat Pakistan by 2-1 or 2-0, then they will have to hope for India to lose to Bangladesh to have a shot at the No.1 spot when they come visiting in February - a tall hope given the form India are in.