India lost the first Test match of the five-game bilateral series against England by 28 runs in Hyderabad on Sunday. Ollie Pope made 196 runs in the second innings and helped England set a fighting target of 231 runs after conceding a 190-run lead in the first innings. (Report | Match Blog | Scorecard)
Tom Hartley, who was making his debut, took seven wickets in the second innings against India and helped England take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. The English captain, Ben Stokes, declared that the victory in the Hyderabad Test was the greatest triumph since he took over as captain.
The loss in the first Test match has badly affected India's position in the World Test Championship (2023-25) points table. India now slips to the fifth position from the second. Their PTC (Points Percentage System) decreased from 54.16 to 43.33. This loss was the second in five Test matches played in this WTC cycle. One match ended in a draw.
Advertisement
Australia remain at the top even after conceding a loss against West Indies in the second Test match at the Gabba. Their PTC decreased from 61.11 to 55. West Indies registered a historic win on Sunday in a thriller and won the match by just eight runs. The Caribbeans maintained their seventh position in the ranking with 33.33 PTC.
ALSO READ: Shamar Joseph's Sensational Debut
Despite winning, England remained at no. 8 in the ranking table due to the loss of 19 points for over-rate penalties. South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh are in the second, third and fourth positions respectively. After conceding a 0-3 clean sweep against Australia, Pakistan are in the sixth position with 36.66 PTC.
Advertisement
India are the runner-ups of the last two World Test Championship finals. The next WTC final will be played at Lord's Cricket Ground, London in 2025 after the end of the WTC (2023-25) cycle which includes 27 series and 69 matches in total. The top two teams of the points tables will play the final at the iconic Lord's.
