India Vs England: Kohli Drops In ICC Rankings After Clinching Unwanted Record In Tests

Indian skipper Virat Kohli dropped to No. 5 in the latest ICC Test Rankings Wednesday following Team India’s disappointing 227-run loss in the first Test against England in Chennai. The defeat also handed Kohli an unwanted record as India’s Test captain.

The India team was chasing 420 in the final innings before getting bowled out for 192 on Day 5. While England went 1-0 up in the four-match Test series, the Joe Root-led side also became the first Test team to beat India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium since 1999. The loss brought an end to India’s incredible 14-match streak in home Tests. It also broke India’s eight-match unbeaten streak at the venue in Chennai.

It was also India's fourth Test loss at home in the last 10 years. India had last lost a Test on home soil in February 2017 against Australia.

The 227-run loss also marked the fourth consecutive Test loss for Kohli as India’s captain – the most he has lost in a row since taking over India’s charge in the longest format in December 2014. Before this, Kohli had won seven Tests in a row – the longest sequence among Indian Test captains.

Kohli’s unlucky streak of four Test losses saw India lose to Tests in Wellington and Christchurch against New Zealand in February last year, then their eight-wicket loss to Australia in the Pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval in December and now in the first Test against England at the Chepauk Stadium.

Meanwhile, England captain Root jumped two spots to secure the No. 3 spot in the ICC Test Rankings. "Root, who helped his team to a memorable 227-run victory in Chennai that kept England in contention for the ICC World Test Championship final, has reached 883 rating points, his highest since September 2017, after a fabulous run in the sub-continent has seen him accumulate 684 runs in three Tests, two of which were in Sri Lanka," read ICC’s latest press release.

Root, who is ahead of Kohli in the ICC Test rankings for the first time since November 2017, is now 36 points behind World No. 1 Kane Williamson of New Zealand and is behind the second-placed Steve Smith by only eight points. With Australia’s new No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne at No. 4, the competition for the top five slots is fierce, with all of them having 850 or more rating points.