NEW DELHI: A day after India thrashed England by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala to win the five-match series 4-1, Rohit Sharma's men have climbed to the number one spot in Test cricket rankings. The Indian team moved past Australia who are now second in the table, according to the rankings released by the International Cricket Council late Saturday.
India suffered a 28-run loss at the hands of England in the opening Test match but bounced back in style to win the remaining four Tests to lift the trophy on Saturday.
After the series win, captain Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid addressed Team India and gave a motivational speech.
"I want to thank personally to everyone for getting together and getting our act together. We wanted to respond under pressure. But that couldn't have been possible if all of us wouldn't have gotten into that thought process. I am extremely happy about that," Rohit said in a video shared by BCCI.
1/10:India's series win against England: Numbers and milestones
IANS
2/10:Team India
<p>This the third time that India have won four Tests in a series — the previous two instances being in the four-Test series vs Australia in 2023 and vs England in 2016. </p>IANS
3/10:Test cricket history
<p>In the history of Test cricket, India have won as many Tests as defeats for the first time — 178, drawn 222 Tests and tied one out of 579. </p>
4/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>With 5/77, Ravichandran Ashwin produced his 36th five-wicket haul, setting an Indian record, overtaking Anil Kumble's tally of 35. </p>ANI
5/10:Match figures
<p>9/128 are the match figures recorded by Ashwin — the best by a bowler in his 100th Test. </p>IANS
6/10:Five-wicket hauls
<p>Ashwin is the first ever player to produce a five-wicket haul on Test debut (6/47 vs West Indies in 2011) and in his 100th Test (5/77 vs England in 2024). </p>ANI
7/10:Shoaib Bashir
<p>Shoaib Bashir became the first England bowler to produce two five-wicket hauls in Tests before turning 21 — 5/119 at Ranchi and 5/173 at Dharamshala. </p>IANS
8/10:James Anderson
<p>James Anderson became the first pacer to take 700 Test wickets and he has also sent down the most number of balls by a pacer in Tests - 39877. </p>AFP
9/10:Duck victims
<p>James Anderson has claimed the most number of duck victims by a bowler in Tests - 115 - a record unlikely to be surpassed. </p>PTI
10/10:Wickets' tally
<p>James Anderson's wickets' tally of 987 across formats in 400 matches is a record by a pacer. </p>ReutersDravid also lauded the team's terrific show in the series and hailed the team's show for winning the series despite going down in the opening Test.
"Firstly, a huge congratulations to everyone of you, the team, the players and support staff for a fantastic series. Think there were times in the series that we were really challenged, we were pushed and we really found a way to bounce back, to come back, just speaks to the skills that we have, the resilience that we have, the character that we have. Many occasions in this series where the games could have gone either way, but we always found people in this dressing room who stepped up and turned the game our way. I think that was fantastic," Dravid said.
"So you not only need to win the games when you have to fight back and you have to bounce back, which we did really well, but you have to also win the games when you're ahead and you don't let the opposition come back in any situation. So, well done on that as well. Great stuff. I spoke about this at the start of the series as well. Irrespective of whether we win or lose, this was going to teach us a lot. Five test match series. You're going to go through a lot of ups and downs. It's a long series. You're going to be tested and it was going to teach us a lot about us as players, as a team and a lot about you as people. And I think we've come through that exceptionally with terrific flying colors. We face challenges both on and off the field, but the way we've stuck together as a group I think has been absolutely phenomenal. For a lot of you young guys, especially coming into this group, you are going to need each other to succeed," he said.
1/10:Five series with most sixes in Test cricket history
AFP
2/10:Pakistan vs New Zealand 2014
<p>Fifth on list is Pakistan vs New Zealand series in 2014 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was characterized by 59 sixes across the three matches.<br /><br /></p>AFP
3/10:Pakistan vs New Zealand 2014
<p>The Pakistan vs New Zealand series in 2014 concluded with a 1-1 draw<br /><br /></p>AFP
4/10:India vs South Africa 2019
<p>In the 2019 India-South Africa series, a total of 65 sixes were recorded which makes them fourth on the list.<br /><br /></p>TIMESOFINDIA.COM
5/10:India-South Africa 2019
<p>India hit 47 of them, including an impressive 19 sixes by Rohit Sharma alone.<br /><br /><br /></p>AP
6/10:Ashes Series
<p>Third on the list is the 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia in which a total of 65 sixes were hit, highlighting the aggressive gameplay.<br /><br /><br /></p>Getty Images
7/10:Ashes 2013-14
<p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; font-size: inherit; list-style: none; -webkit-user-drag: none; overflow: visible; font-family: inherit; color: inherit; display: block;">Australia showcased remarkable dominance by whitewashing England 5-0.</p>AFP
8/10:2023 Ashes series
<p>The 2023 Ashes series witnessed a total of 74 sixes being unleashed, showcasing the power-hitting prowess of 28 players. This remarkable feat positions them second on the list in terms of sixes hit in a series.<br /><br /><br /></p>Getty Images
9/10:2023 Ashes series
<p><br />In the 2023 Ashes series, both Australia and England engaged in one of the most thrilling contests in recent memory, ending in a 2-2 draw.<br /><br /><br /></p>Getty Images
10/10:India vs. England
<p><br />On the top of the list stands the 2024 India vs. England series in India, where an unprecedented 102 sixes have been struck, marking a historic milestone in bilateral series history.<br /><br /><br /></p>AFP"Whether you are a batsman or a bowler or whatever you are, your success is tied in with other people's success. All of you are invested in each other's success and I think that's really important going forward. It's not about your success, but it's about how you can help other people succeed, which will also help you succeed. So, well done on that. As a young group going forward, I hope that a lot of you will play together for a long time and support each other and help each other grow as players and as people. Series like this have to be earned. I think this is tough. Test cricket is hard at times. It's hard in terms of your skill. It's hard physically as you've seen. It's hard mentally. Test cricket is hard," Dravid said.
"It's not easy, but there's great satisfaction at the end of it. End of a series like this, the satisfaction that you get winning a series like this. Coming from one behind to be able to win four, I think is just phenomenal. There are going to be tougher challenges, there are going to be other challenges as we go forward. As long as we grow, as long as we learn, as long as we keep improving and stay tight as a unit, we'll be fine. Well done on that," he said.
"Just want to thank and acknowledge the support staff. Everyone in the support staff has been a long season for all of us as we are now going into our break, the support staff. So, it's been a really long season for everyone. To everyone in the support staff, our coaches and everyone in the background and the back room staff for all the efforts that you put in. It's a terrific bunch of professionals. I just love working with you guys. Really proud of what you guys have achieved. Good luck," Dravid concluded.
