NEW DELHI: India overtook Australia on Tuesday to go number one in new Test rankings issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC), while also retaining the top position in T20s.

England remained number three in Tests but reduced the gap behind the top two teams significantly, the rankings published by the ICC showed.

England have won 10 out of 12 Tests since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces last year following a woeful run of one win in 17 matches.

The new annual rankings reflect all series completed since May 2020 and drop results from the 2019-20 season, the ICC said.

India last topped the Test rankings for a month in December 2021, while Australia has been number one since January 2022 after hammering England 4-0 in the Ashes.

The table remained otherwise unchanged, with South Africa fourth and New Zealand fifth ahead of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Afghanistan and Ireland have yet to play enough Tests to earn a place in the rankings table.

India remained number one in the T20 rankings, increasing their lead over second-placed England, while New Zealand overtook Pakistan and South Africa to be third.

Australia are sixth ahead of West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The new rankings for One-day Internationals will be released on May 10.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2023