India and Australia are set to renew a heated rivalry this February, with a four-game Test series set to potentially act as a precursor to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Pat Cummins will lead the Aussies in their attempt to end an 18-year drought on Indian soil, while the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will be in action for the hosts.
But there will be more than just bragging rights and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line, with both sides near the top of the 2021-2023 edition of the WTC rankings.
With the final scheduled for June in the UK, Australia are atop the leaderboard and India are in second place, with the likes of South Africa, Sri Lanka and England trailing behind.
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So while the four-game battle between the sides will be fierce, there could be a fifth and final match between Australia and India later in 2023.
As it stands, India are not the best Test cricket team in the world.
Despite an uncharacteristically tough 2022, the side still sit in second spot in both the WTC rankings and ICC Test rankings heading into the massive series against Australia.
Pat Cummins and his in-form side are atop both leaderboards, with a spot in the WTC final on the horizon.
After the introduction of the WTC back in 2019, New Zealand won the inaugural title after defeating England in the final, making them the undisputed kings of Test cricket at the time.
After being cancelled in both 2013 and 2017, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) was finally introduced in 2019.
The championship runs over the course of two years, with the current edition beginning in August 2021 and the final set to be held in June 2023.
Teams are awarded points for 12 points for a victory, six points for a tie, four points for a draw and zero points for a loss, with percentages factored in for each result and sides ranked on those percentages.
