India solidify top position in World Test Championship standings with big win over England

NEW DELHI: India's massive victory in the fifth and final Test in Dharamshala and 4-1 series win against England has consolidated their position at the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Victory with an innings and 64 runs in Dharamshala has helped India gain 12 crucial WTC points, taking their score to 74. The win has lifted their points percentage from 64.58 to 68.51.

Rohit Sharma's side reached top position last week after New Zealand slipped to the second place following their loss to Australia in Wellington. The Black Caps have points percentage of 60, while their Trans-Tasman rivals Australia are in third place with 59.09.

For England, a fourth straight loss in India has kept them in the eighth place in the standings, and in terms of point percentage, they have dropped to 17.5 from 19.44 previously.

Having secured a series win with a stellar fightback in the Ranchi Test, India dominated all three days of the fifth Test.

England won the toss and were bundled out for 218 in their first innings. Kuldeep Yadav (5/72) and Ravichandran Ashwin (4/51) topped the bowling charts for India.

India scored 477 runs in the first innings. England had a deficit of 259 runs as they began their second innings. Though Joe Root (84 in 128 balls, with 12 fours) attempted to fight it out for England, he got very little support from the other end.

Jonny Bairstow (39 in 31 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Tom Hartley (20 in 24 balls, with four boundaries) contributed respectable scores, but nothing could help Root avert a disaster as England were bundled out for 195. England lost the series 4-1.

Ashwin (5/77) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja got one.