India still No. 1 by some distance despite 1-4 series loss to England

The English side was ranked fifth before the beginning of the series with 97 rating points

Not everything is negative for Team India. There is a silver light at the end of the tunnel. Despite their 1-4 loss to England, they still are the No. 1 ranked side in the ICC Test rankings and will remain there for quite some time considering the long gap between them and the second-ranked South African side.  

While India's rating points did take a beating, sliding down to 115 from 125 at the start of the series but they still enjoy a healthy nine-point lead over South Africa, who are in the second spot with 106 points. Australia, at No.3, are also at 106 rating points, lagging behind South Africa by decimals. 

There is further good news for India as there is no real threat to their top spot at least till the end of this year. India's next assignment is a two-match Test series against the West Indies at home and it is unlikely that the touring West Indies side will stage a great upset. India will face its first big challenge to hold onto its numero uno status against Australia when Virat Kohli's side will travel down under for a four-match Test series starting from November.  

England, on the other hand, have made a jump in the ICC Test team rankings. The Joe Root led side has dethroned New Zealand to grab the 4^th position with a total of 105 rating points.

The English side was ranked fifth before the beginning of the series. They had 97 rating point, however, a terrific victory over top-ranked India lifted them up by one position, adding 8 more points to their account.

With a 4-1 series win, England move up to fourth in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Team Rankings!

https://t.co/vTBf92M023 pic.twitter.com/6trNlgDJV4

— ICC (@ICC) September 11, 2018

Now the Englishmen are just one point behind South Africa and Australia, who are both on 106 points with the former marginally ahead on decimal points. Since the Kiwis have 102 points in their kitty, there are now four teams within a space of five points of each other on the points table.