India aim to maintain top spot

Holding on to the number one position despite a 1-4 loss to England, India will look to maintain their status in the ICC Test rankings when they host West Indies in a two-match series.

In the series that starts on Thursday, India will be looking to ensure they do not lose any points in a bid to maintain their top position.

India lead the table with 115 points but only stand to gain one point even with a 2-0 series win owing to the large difference in rating points with the West Indies.

On the other hand, India can slip to 108 points with an unlikely 2-0 loss and Australia could overtake them if they defeat Pakistan 2-0.

For the West Indies, even a 2-0 series win will at best help them bridge the gap with Pakistan and Sri Lanka but will not pull them up from their present eighth position.

India captain Virat Kohli would be aiming to consolidate his position at the top of the table since he is ahead of banned Australian run-machine Steve Smith by only one point.

Cheteshwar Pujara (sixth) and Lokesh Rahul (19th) will be other leading India batsmen in the series while the spin pair of Ravindra Jadeja (fourth) and Ravichandran Ashwin (eighth) would be looking to capitalize on home conditions.

The West Indies boast of Kraigg Brathwaite in 13th position while three of their fast bowlers are in the top 20 – Shannon Gabriel (11th), Jason Holder (13th) and Kemar Roach (19th) – and would be hoping to get some help from the Indian wickets.