ndia retained the ICC Test Championship Mace and won the purse of $1 million for a third year

running after a memorable season that saw them winning their maiden series in Australia.

India finished at the top of the ICC Test team rankings on the cut-off date of April 1 while New Zealand

have ensured second place, the world body said in a statement on Monday.

“Retaining the ICC Test Championship Mace once again is something we are all really proud of. Our

team has been doing well across formats but it gives us extra pleasure to come out on top of the Test

rankings,” India captain Virat Kohli said reiterating his love for Test cricket.

“We all know of the importance of Test cricket and of how only the best can prosper in the format,”

he added.

A top place finish was never in doubt for India, while New Zealand’s consistent performances over the

past year saw them climb from third position, needing them to only avoid losing the home series

against Bangladesh last month to finish at the same position.

The Kane Williamson-led side, who also had the satisfaction of seeing their captain get the ICC Spirit

of Cricket award for 2018, earned $500,000 after finishing with 108 points, eight behind India.

South Africa, who had finished second the previous two times, will now get a prize money of $200,000

for finishing third with 105 points while Australia who edged out England on decimal points at 104

points bag $100,000.

“Our team has a lot of depth and I am sure this will stand us in good stead once the ICC World Test

Championship commences later this year. That is again something we are really looking forward to as

it adds more context to Test match cricket,” Kohli said.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said it was an “awesome” achievement for his side to finish

second in the ICC Test Team Rankings

“...as a team we should be very proud. It’s come off the back of a lot of hard work and perseverance;

not just by the eleven guys on the field, but the entire squad and support staff.

“It’s been especially pleasing to see the consistency we’ve shown in the longest form of the game over

a decent period of time.”

ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney congratulated the Indian team while reiterating the importance of

Test cricket and looking forward to the start of the World Test Championship after the World Cup in

May-July.

“I congratulate India on retaining the ICC Test Championship Mace and appreciate the passion Virat

Kohli’s team has shown across formats over the past few years. Test cricket has been enjoying a

purple patch over the last couple of years with more positive results than ever and a genuine

competitive balance between nations,” he said.

Nine Test nations will compete across 27 series and 71 Test matches to reach the World Test

Championship Final in 2021 where the champions will be crowned.

BJP primarily has no moral right to criticise the coming together of parties under a common umbrella.

Have they not aligned with regional parties like All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK) in

Tamil Nadu or Shiv Sena in Maharashtra? As prime minister, Mr. Modi should maintain a certain

decorum while speaking. This language comes out of desperation.

But there are strains and opposing pulls within the formation.

It was JD(S) which initiated the process of mahagathbandhan by bringing together all anti-Modi and anti-

BJP forces in the country during the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Andhra

Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Chandrababu Naidu tried his best to stitch

an alliance between the Congress and other anti-BJP parties. But some anti-BJP parties are preparing a
solo fight in their own States. This cannot be construed as tukde-tukde (bits and pieces). This is nothing

but an attempt by the BJP to humiliate regional parties for which they will pay a price. As far as I am

concerned I will support any regional party which opposes BJP. Mr Naidu has invited me for a political

rally and I will go.

Do you think people will trust the alliance as a possible national alternative, despite disappointments

in the past?

Parties opposed to Mr. Modi in each State will naturally have their own plans. After the polls, they

would decide on the leadership. I will also be a part of this effort in my capacity as a senior politician. I

have appealed to them in the past and will appeal to them again that the most important thing is to

convince people that we can give a stable government for five years. I am optimistic.

One of the biggest accusations against JD(S) is dynastic politics. Once called appa-maga (father-sons)

party, now people say it is appa-maga-mommaga party (father-sons-grandsons) with the entry of your

two grandsons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna into the fray this time.

See, my father was not a politician. He was a humble farmer. My grandsons are contesting because the

party wants them to. Also, interestingly, the issue of dynastic politics is highlighted only in Karnataka.

Why don’t you look at DMK in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, for instance?

Given the so-called ‘trust deficit’ between the Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka, especially in the

southern region where you two have been traditional rivals, do you believe the transfer of votes will

happen?

There is no trust deficit as is being hyped up by the media. There are problems in pockets, of course,

because of the history of animosity between the cadre of the two parties. But we are aware of the larger

agenda of defeating BJP in the country. All leaders of the coalition are trying their best to fight unitedly
by convincing the ground level workers. But yes, leaders of both the parties should forget the past and

move forward in the new direction.

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