Ind vs Aus 1st Test: Virat Kohli’s Men in Blue and Tim Paine’s Yellow Army will square off for the 1st Test in Adelaide. With one trophy each in kitty for India and Australia — the former won T20 series, while the latter won ODI series — the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will decide which team was the best in this two-month long tour. The 1st Test will be an important one as it will be India’s first day-night Test internationally. Both the teams will lock horns at 9:30 am (IST) with ICC Test Ranking’s World No.1 spot at stake.
According to the world rankings, Australia are currently ranked at the top with 116 rating points. New Zealand is No.2 with a point less. At No.3 is India with 114 points.
Current Test Rankings —
| POS | TEAM | RATING |
| 1 | Australia | 116 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 115 |
| 3 | India | 114 |
| 4 | England | 106 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 91 |
| 6 | South Africa | 90 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 85 |
| 8 | West Indies | 79 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 55 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 18 |
Here are the different scenarios and how it will affect the ICC Test Rankings
Scenario 1: If India win —
This is where things get interesting. India need just one win to jump two spots and claim the No.1 spot. They will get four points for the win while Australia will lose three and move to the third spot.
| POS | TEAM | RATING |
| 1 | India | 118 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 115 |
| 3 | Australia | 113 |
| 4 | England | 106 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 91 |
| 6 | South Africa | 90 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 85 |
| 8 | West Indies | 79 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 55 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 18 |
Scenario 2: If Australia wins –
A lose can put them a difficult situation as well. While Australia will retain their No.1 spot with 119 points, India will lose two points taking their total to 111 points. With this they would lose crucial lead over England who are fourth with 106 points.
| POS | TEAM | RATING |
| 1 | Australia | 119 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 115 |
| 3 | India | 111 |
| 4 | England | 106 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 91 |
| 6 | South Africa | 90 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 85 |
| 8 | West Indies | 79 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 55 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 18 |
Scenario 3: If the match ends in a draw —
If the match ends in a draw, then also India will climb up in the table and take the second spot just one point behind the Aussies. The battle for the World No.1 spot would then move to Melbourne Cricket Ground where the 2nd Test will be played starting December 26.
| POS | TEAM | RATING |
| 1 | Australia | 116 |
| 2 | India | 115 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 115 |
| 4 | England | 106 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 91 |
| 6 | South Africa | 90 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 85 |
| 8 | West Indies | 79 |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 55 |
| 10 | Zimbabwe | 18 |
Meanwhile, good news for India is Rohit Sharma has been declared fit and will be flying down to Australia for the Test series.
Ind vs Aus Test series: Rohit Sharma declared fit
Senior India batsman Rohit Sharma on Friday cleared an eagerly-watched fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and will leave for Australia on December 14, three days before the start of the marquee Test series against the world’s number one team.
Rohit had sustained a hamstring injury during the IPL, which led to him missing the white-ball leg of the ongoing tour.
He is also out of reckoning for the first two Tests but can now be there for the last two games.
“Rohit has cleared the fitness Test and will soon be flying out to Australia,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Rohit’s fitness test took place under the supervision of NCA director Rahul Dravid, who is entrusted with the responsibility of giving him his fitness certificate.
As per the Australian government’s rules, the star batsman will have to undergo a mandatory 14 days of hard quarantine before being able to train for the last two Tests in Sydney (Jan 7 to 11) and Brisbane (Jan 15 to 19).
He is flying straight to Sydney and will get a week’s training there.
There had been confusion around Rohit’s status over the past few weeks.
Captain Virat Kohli spoke about a lack of clarity on the issue that has been full of intrigue ever since he injured his left hamstring during a league match while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
The injury, which forced him out of four IPL games, prompted the national selectors to not consider him for the Australian tour.
Omitted from the squad for the much-anticipated tour, he soon returned to lead his franchise in the remainder of the lucrative league, adding to the curiosity.
On November 9, the BCCI provided an update on his status, saying the selectors had kept Rohit out of only the limited-overs leg for him to “regain full fitness” for the Test series.
But the white-ball vice-captain came to Mumbai instead of travelling straight to Australia with his national teammates after leading Indians to IPL title triumph in the UAE.
The BCCI then issued another press release on November 26, a day after Kohli claimed he did not know why Rohit had not done his rehab in Australia, stating that the reason behind the opener coming back to India was his father’s illness.