Yes playing the first series without its leading runscorer and the captain with the most tes wins was going to be easy.
Let's not forget India also lost a home series to England.
At least Sri Lankans play in similar conditions.
There is more to cricket then rankings and playing well in adelaide
If Eng, SA, Aus kept playing home series i'm sure they would be number 1 in no time as well. Even SL could achieve that feat no doubt. Pakistan did it while playing in UAE, not even their home. My point is test rankings are meaningless. It all depends on how many home series a team plays. To suggest India deserves more tests because they are number 1 doesn't make sense. When you also consider their last two series in Eng were disastrous.
Considering each test is 5 days long 5 match series becomes way too long. 3 tests are enough, especially when you also have ODIs and T20Is.
The only thing that matters in Test cricket are the rankings. It is going to decide which two teams will get to play in the ICC Test Championship Final in 2021.
Teams that are not in the top two by the cut-off date will not able to win the Test Championship Trophy, so I hope it is now clear why the “meaningless” rankings are important.
The rankings will decide the Test Championship winner, not the verdict of the PPers and their hypothetical scenarios, qualifications and filters.
However, PPers can play a fantasy ICC Test Championship Final between Pakistan and some other team, whenever and wherever they want.
It is also pertinent to point out that the notion that England, Australia and South Africa would be number one if they keep playing at home is a myth.
No team is as dominant at home as India as, they have won every series in the last 5 years. No other team can boast such a record.
Pakistan did get to the top of the rankings for a few weeks thanks to a washout Test between India and the West Indies, but they blew it by losing 6 consecutive Tests to Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies, and they don’t have anyone to blame for.
It is also important to point out that our home record in Pakistan has been trash since the 90’s, and playing our home Tests in the UAE has actually benefited our batsmen.
The UAE pitches have nothing for the pacers, and teams like England, Australia and South Africa would have enjoyed more success in Pakistan where you often get green wickets or overcast conditions, which are nowhere to be found in the UAE.
So to summarize what I stated:
- the rankings are not meaningless because they will decide who qualifies for the ICC Test Championship Final.
- the opinions of PPers will not influence what happens in the real world. However, They can host their very own fantasy Test Championship and declare Pakistan the winner for their self-satisfaction.
- India are the rightful number one ranked team because they are the most dominant home team by far.
- Pakistan would have lost a lot more home Tests if we would not have shifted our home matches to the UAE.