ICC to present Test Championship Mace to Virat Kohli after third T20I

The Indian captain Virat Kohli will be presented with the ICC Test Championship Mace after the conclusion of the third and final T20 International against South Africa in Cape Town. The series locked at 1-1 and the decider is expected to be a fascinating contest with the teams looking to end the gruelling tour on a high. However, the Indian team stayed on the number 1 position in the Tests despite losing the series to the home side by 1-2. They had to win at least one game in the series which they did in Johannesburg and also avoided the whitewash.

India arrived in South Africa with 124 points with their opponents 13 points behind them. Proteas had to whitewash the visitors in order to get close to them in the rankings and then win the four-match series against by 2-0 to dethrone Virat Kohli and his men. As it stands now, India will return from the country with 121 points as opposed to 115 points of South Africa.

They will stay at the top of the tree until the cut-off date of April 3 and seal the prize money $1 million for the second year in succession. Sunil Gavaskar had presented him with the mace last year after Indore Test against New Zealand.

Statement from ICC

Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Pollock will present the Indian skipper Kohli with the Championship Mace after the presentation ceremony of the third and final T20I in Cape Town. “On behalf of the ICC, Cricket Hall of Famers Sunil Gavaskar of India and Graeme Pollock of South Africa will make the presentation immediately after the awards ceremony for the T20I series”, the ICC wrote in a statement.

However, the other positions could still change before the cut-off date as Australia-South Africa and England-New Zealand will lock horns. South Africa will have to win at least one Test match to retain their second place and win $500,000. In that case, Australia will pocket $200,000 for a third-place finish. But if the visitors win the series 3-0 or 4-0, then Steve Smith and his men will leapfrog Proteas.

Also, New Zealand only needs to draw the two-match series against England to finish at the fourth which will earn them $100,000. The cut-off date has been adjusted this year as both the Test series ends on April 3.

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