Indias victory in the second Test against Australia at the MCG in Melbourne means that they stay in second place in the table and remain very much in contention for a place in the inaugural final which will be played at Lords in London next June.
Despite their loss, Australia retain top spot, and barring a series of unforeseen events, seem certain to contest the final.
Meanwhile, New Zealand are now in third place, and could yet pip India to the other final berth. They concluded a dramatic win against Pakistan at the Bay Oval in Tauranga on Wednesday, in a match that went down to the final hour before the result was decided.
The only other team that could force their way into the reckoning are England, who are fourth in the table. However, with two away series to come against Sri Lanka and India in the next three months, they are going to have their work cut out if they are going to mount a challenge to the leading test nations at the moment.
Originally the table was decided on a points basis, with 120 available in total for a series. That was then adjusted for the matches in a series, so a two-match series such as the one featuring New Zealand and Pakistan would see 60 points go to the winner of a game, whereas in the case of a four-match series such as that between Australia and India sees the tariff reduced to 30 points a win.
Last month though the ICC decided to change the scoring system for this edition of the Championship to reflect the impact of the global pandemic on the cricketing calendar. Recognising that some nations will not be able to complete scheduled series before the final reckoning is made, it was adjusted to a percentage winning basis.
That means that India dropped below Australia on the adjusted basis, but the two teams are still most bookmakers favourites to meet in that Lords final.
