Australia's goal is to win in India: Justin Langer
Australia's head coach Justin Langer was elated after the team dethroned India to claim top spot in the latest ICC Test Rankings. He revealed Australia are eyeing the World Test Championship with an aim to beat India. Having lost the top spot for the first time since 2016-17, India are now third in the list with New Zealand holding the second position.
The Australian cricket team suffered in the aftermath of 2018 Newlands scandal. Despite facing perpetual criticism, Tim Paine successfully pulled the team out of black hole. The return of Steve Smith and David Warner last year further bolstered the side across formats. Australia have won their last five Tests (2 vs Pakistan, 3 vs New Zealand) by huge margins.
"We recognize how fluid these rankings are. It was certainly nice to put a smile on our faces. The World Test Championship has been a goal, but we have to beat India in India and we've got to beat them when they return," Langer said.
Langer asserted that Australia will be raring to go when India tour Down Under, later in the year. India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia, after beating the hosts 2-1, in 2018. "You can only judge yourself as being the best if you beat the best and we've got some really tough opposition to come," Langer said.
In the recently released ICC Test Rankings, India have slipped to third spot with 114 points. Australia lead the rankings with rating 116 points, two positions ahead of third-placed India. New Zealand now hold to the second spot with 115 points. Notably, the top three teams are separated by one point each. Meanwhile India still top the ICC World Test Championship table.
