On January 4, India and South Africa played out the shortest Test match in history at Newlands in Cape Town, as the visitors won by 7 wickets to draw their ongoing bilateral series 1-1.
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After shooting out the hosts for just 55 in the first innings, India took a 98-run lead on Day 1 despite losing their last 6 wickets for 0 runs. South Africa began to bat again on the same day and were bowled out for 176 at lunch on Day 2, setting India 79 to win, which they scored in just 12 overs.
However, despite the positive result, India suffered a low in the latest ICC Men's Test rankings update, as they were overtaken by Australia.
ICC Men's Test rankings: Australia dethrone India to snatch top spot in latest update
India's series result of 1-1 against South Africa paved the way for Australia to take the lead in the Test rankings. The Aussies are currently playing the third and final Test of a home series against Pakistan, where they are currently leading 2-0.
Those two wins have enabled Australia to overtake India in the latest rankings, meaning 2024 has started in similar fashion to 2023. Last year, Australia beat India in the Women's T20 World Cup semifinal, World Test Championship final and Men's World Cup final.
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 118 |
| 2 | India | 117 |
| 3 | England | 115 |
| 4 | South Africa | 106 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 95 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 92 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 79 |
| 8 | West Indies | 77 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 51 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 32 |
| 11 | Afghanistan | 10 |
| 12 | Ireland | 0 |
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