India retains second position as New Zealand moves to seventh

India has retained its second position on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings following the Wellington Test, which ended in a draw to give New Zealand a 1-0 series win, but the series result has made Australia's task of finishing ahead of India on the table before the 1 April cut-off date slightly easier.

India has slipped from 117 ratings points to 112 ratings points, and is ahead of Australia by just one ratings point. This means Australia, which leads South Africa 1-0 in the three-Test series, now needs minimum of a draw in the series to move ahead of India.

If Australia wins the series 1-0, it will rise to 115 ratings points, whereas a 2-0 win will put it on 116 ratings points.

In contrast, if South Africa bounces back and wins the next two Tests, then it will not only retain its pre-series rating of 133 ratings points, but Australia will also remain behind India on 110 ratings points, thereby handing Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side second position at the 1 April cut-off date.

South Africa is already guaranteed the number-one position at the 1 April cut-off date and, as such, will retain the mace and will also collect a cheque of US$450,000, while the side that finishes second will pocket US$350,000, and US$250,000 will go to the third-ranked side. England will collect US$150,000 as it will finish fourth at the 1 April cut-off date.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has gained five ratings points following its 1-0 series win over India. It has now joined the West Indies on 87 ratings points. However, it is ranked above the West Indies when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.