India's comprehensive innings and 77 run loss to Sri Lanka at Colombo has consigned them to eighth place on the ICC Test Championship table.

India (0.69 points per series average, down from 0.77) exchange places with Pakistan (0.73), who had earlier slipped to eighth behind their nearest rivals after drawing their away series with England in June.

Sri Lanka maintain fourth position with their 2-1 series victory, improving their average to 1.08, and thereby moving clear of the West Indies who had been on level terms with them at an average of 1.00 prior to the completion of this series.

The outcome of this latest series overrides the 0-0 result of the two-Test series played between Sri Lanka and India in 1997/98.

Sri Lanka's next opportunity to close the gap on England (1.14), who are presently in third, will come when they host the West Indies in November. They can draw level on the table with victory in that series, which will be the first between the two sides on Sri Lankan soil to consist of more than one Test.

Before then, their only assignment is an Asian Test Championship fixture against Bangladesh, which will not affect the standings on the table as it is a one-off match.

India's next opportunity, meanwhile, to regain seventh position will come in October when Pakistan host New Zealand. As they drew their last series against the New Zealanders in Pakistan in 1996/97, a loss would see the home side slip to 0.67, just behind India once more.

India can control their own fate in November, when a reversal of their 2-0 series loss in South Africa in 1996/97 would also ensure that they would shrug off eighth place.

The next series to count towards the ICCTC starts when Zimbabwe host South Africa later this month. It will be a fresh opportunity for points for both sides as neither of the last two meetings between the sides in Zimbabwe qualifies for consideration under the ICCTC rules.

The teams played a one-off match in 1995/96 and their subsequent meeting at Harare in 1999/00 was part of a two-Test home and away series which, for the purposes of the ICCTC, is seen as having been played in South Africa.

However, no matter the result, the respective positions of the two teams on the current table will not be affected.

© CricInfo