India return to 2nd spot in WTC25 standings after Vizag win

Visakhapatnam, Feb 5:  Following a remarkable 106-run victory over England in the second Test here on Monday, India have reclaimed the second position in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings, closing the gap behind table-toppers Australia.

India;' triumph at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium has propelled them back up the rankings, pushing their point percentage to 52.77. The top half of the table remains highly competitive, with five teams separated by a mere 5% in point percentage, ICC reports.

India had previously dropped to fifth behind Bangladesh in the WTC standings after their shock 28-run defeat to England in the series opener in Hyderabad.

After the loss in the series opener, India responded well with a remarkable performance in the second Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal played a crucial role, achieving a double-century in the initial innings and guiding India to a total of 396 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah's exceptional bowling display became the highlight of the match as he claimed a six-wicket haul, dismantling the English lineup and restricting them to 253 in the first innings.

Building on a 143-run lead, Shubman Gill's century further strengthened India's position, setting a challenging target of 399 for England.

Zak Crawley was the lone warrior for England in the fourth innings, standing out as the only English batter to surpass the 50-run mark.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Bumrah picked up three wickets each to knock England over for 292, winning the match by 106 runs and levelled the five-match series 1-all.