Media reaction around the world upon India claiming the Number 1 position in ICC Test ranking

[vvvslaxman]

So' date=' Shwetabh, PK and VVS, so by your admission, you agree that the test ranking system is flawed, the same point Simon was trying to make ?[/quote'] How is it flawed. Losing to lower ranked team will make you lose more points. Winning against them won't get you more points. Otherwise you can organize a 5 test series against Bangladesh and whop them to your heart's content to boost your rankings. As a top team you have to win against everyone especially ranked below you. Australia was at the top for very long time. They lost their spot because they couldn't do those white washes any more against top teams. Loss of series also hurts them.

[EnterTheVoid]

You still dont get it. He was using india's poor ODI performance in last few months to buttress his point that India don't deserve to be ranked 1 in TESTS. That is THE ultimate flop argument, and basically tells you a lot about author's intentions.

Thats his opinion. No doubt his intent was malicious but his example of using SL at no 2 to highlight flaws in the ranking system based on their performance in tests, doesn't that hold some meit, if you, for the time being disregard his India - bashing rampage ?

[Karan114]

If India are the best TEST team' date=' how long do you predict them maintaining the ranking for ? Surely not a period of 1 or 2 months ?[/quote'] Right now the gap between us and the second ranked team is not very high (2 points). We will now be punished more if we lose to weaker sides - we have to beat them well to sustain our ranking. Beating stronger teams will push us up, though not as much as previously when we were lower ranked.

If India are indeed No 1 but consistently ranked between 1 - 3 due to anamolies in the ranking system' date=' what does that say about the ranking system ?[/quote'] All it says is that the top few teams are pretty closely placed at the moment and that even though we are no.1, we are not Aussie of the 90's or WI of the 80's (when the ranking system was started this decade, Aussies would be placed high above the rest in terms of points) - which is obvious.

[King Tendulkar]

If India are the best TEST team, how long do you predict them maintaining the ranking for ? Surely not a period of 1 or 2 months ? If India are indeed No 1 but consistently ranked between 1 - 3 due to anamolies in the ranking system, what does that say about the ranking system ?

We will dominate for next 3 years. We are going to get better and better! We hold test series current wins against England, Aus, NZ, now SL, NZ, Windies, Pak, Bangla. So basically the only team we do not hold the test series trophy against is SA. That says it all why we are number 1. Also at least 5 or 4 of thos trophies were gained with overseas wins. Frankly am suprised we were not number 1 sooner. So yes maybe there is a flaw in ranking as we should have been number 1 a while back!

[punjabi_khota]

When teams are nearly equal, any kind of ranking system (which will have a time-delay inevitably) will be unstable, i.e. those teams may exchange rankings frequently. When Australia were dominating during McWarne period, they were ranked one all the time, and no one came close, except SA I think for a couple of months.

[The Outsider]

If India are the best TEST team, how long do you predict them maintaining the ranking for ? Surely not a period of 1 or 2 months ? If India are indeed No 1 but consistently ranked between 1 - 3 due to anamolies in the ranking system, what does that say about the ranking system ?

It's simple - the two top countries are South Africa and India. South Africa were ranked 1 for some time, now India are. Who really deserves to be number 1 in the long term will be decided in the upcoming series between them.

[Karan114]

Thats his opinion. No doubt his intent was malicious but his example of using SL at no 2 to highlight flaws in the ranking system based on their performance in tests' date=' doesn't that hold some meit, if you, for the time being disregard his India - bashing rampage ?[/quote'] SL became no.2 because they played a number of series at home in succession, where they rarely lose. They toured India, are getting thrashed and will fall back down in the rankings again.

[Karan114]

So yes maybe there is a flaw in ranking as we should have been number 1 a while back!

KT :cantstop:

[vvvslaxman]

Thats his opinion. No doubt his intent was malicious but his example of using SL at no 2 to highlight flaws in the ranking system based on their performance in tests' date=' doesn't that hold some meit, if you, for the time being disregard his India - bashing rampage ?[/quote'] You have to realize they give equal points to both home series and away series. SL beat India and Pakistan in their own backyard. In the last 3 years they have lost only one series that is against Australia. I know they haven't played more. So they didn't lose more.

[ViruRulez]

When teams are nearly equal, any kind of ranking system (which will have a time-delay inevitably) will be unstable, i.e. those teams may exchange rankings frequently. When Australia were dominating during McWarne period, they were ranked one all the time, and no one came close, except SA I think for a couple of months.

It's simple - the two top countries are South Africa and India. South Africa were ranked 1 for some time' date=' now India are. Who really deserves to be number 1 in the long term will be decided in the upcoming series between them.[/quote'] :dito:

[Karan114]

You have to realize they give equal points to both home series and away series. SL beat India and Pakistan in their own backyard. In the last 3 years they have lost only one series that is against Australia. I know they haven't played more. So they didn't lose more.

Three Test series against Bangla in 2007?! Man these Lankans

[vvvslaxman]

Three Test series against Bangla in 2007?! Man these Lankans

:cantstop: I know.

[Sachinism]

^ Simon Wilde. Here's his article when Sachin went past Lara's record last year http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article4969385.ece

Another nonsense article. His arguements for Lara being better than Tendulakr: - Lara demolished Warne more and was more attacking - Tendulkar wasn't a good captain. (Oh and Lara was great) Who gave this monkey a pen?

The times(englands leading paper) is so bitter towards India. Look how they start there article reporting sehwags unbeliavable knock ------------------------------- Virender Sehwag proved yesterday, not for the first time, that when the pitch is fine, the bowling friendly and he is in the right mood, there is no more voracious scorer of runs than the India opening batsman. ------------------------------------------------------- They had to give demean the knock a little bit!

Pretty much saying anyone could have done it. What a joke of a paper, I'll be sure not to pick up a copy of that crap ever again.

The ranking system is not perfect as it weighs the home and abroad performances the same way, so will throw up the odd anomaly like SL being number 2 for a couple of months, but that will get sorted out very quickly as it happened now. And Simon's point is not that the ranking system has glitches - his point is that the ranking system has glitches because India have managed to become number 1. For that, I challenge anyone to have a subjective discussion as to why India does not deserve to be number 1. As I said in my earlier post, South Africa and India are the top two teams and who is the long term number 1 will be decided in March.

BCCI have said we're only playing ODIs vs SA :((

[Dinx - the Jinx]

BCCI have said we're only playing ODIs vs SA :((

Is it true?

[Guest Hiten.]

Is it true?

That's what Cricinfo is reporting. I am actually starting to get irritated with only ODI's and T20s in our FTP. I don't mind them, but any format played in excess is a borefest FFS :wall:

[Sooda]

Yep.. no tests. Theres a - tearjerking- article on how this might the last the Indian crowds see of the holy trinity. Said so there

[vvvslaxman]

What a classy test team this is. They deserve more Tests.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

will this help us in any way to retain our no. 1 ranking for a longer time?

[Karan114]

Well you are left depending on how other teams do - in this case South Africa against England. India won't be losing or gaining any points, obviously. But given how well this team is gelling together, it has every chance of gaining more points if actually allowed to play regular Test cricket against good opposition. Not two Tests against Bangladesh then nothing for months.

[Sachinism]

:yay: