Team India consolidate No. 1 position in ICC Test rankings after Sri Lanka clean sweep

New Delhi: Virat Kohli-led Team India went 15 points clear of second-placed South Africa in the ICC Test rankings after a thumping 3-0 series whitewash over Sri Lanka on Monday.

Apart from their series win, India also benefited from South Africa's 1-3 defeat to England in the recently concluded Test series.

Team India thus consolidated their top position which they have been holding since October 2016.

India have been on a roll in Test cricket since their win over West Indies in 2016. 

They played 13 matches at home spread across the latter half of 2016 and early 2017 of which they lost only one and drew two. They defeated New Zealand 3-0, England 4-0, Bangladesh in a lone Test and Australia 2-1. 

The Sri Lanka series was their first away Test tour since they travelled to West Indies. India won the first Test by 304 runs. 

Both the second and third Tests were innings victories for Kohli's side with one being by an innings and 53 runs and the other being by an innings and 171 runs.

But India's lead can be curtailed as, apart from a scheduled visit by Sri Lanka, they don't play a Test series for the rest of the year. 

India's next Test series is set to be away to South Africa. 

Kohli's men can consolidate their top position further if they manage to get a good result out of the series. The series is set to extend over three matches.