How long can India retain the number one tag?

New Delhi:

Team India has zoomed to the numero uno position in the ICC Test rankings and they are assured of going into the New Year as team number one, but for how long?

With South Africa breathing down their neck it may not be long before Dhoni's men have to relinquish the top spot.

Victory could not have been sweeter for the Indian team as a comprehensive 2-0 scoreline against Sri Lanka also meant scaling the Test peak.

MS Dhoni may well be on the road to take over from Sourav Ganguly as the most successful Indian Test skipper, as under him India have won 8 off 11 Tests, but even MSD knows holding onto the new tag is going to be the tough part.

"It is a bit of a concern that we are playing two Test matches in the next six months so it will be tough for us to maintain this position, but we have done something remarkable. We should celebrate the moment rather than thinking what next," Dhoni said.

Playing lesser number of Tests compared to other nations is a worrying thought for the team.

"The focus is certainly more on T20 and one-day cricket. We sometimes play almost 45-50 one-day matches in a year, while Test matches are fewer, so there I do feel is an imbalance, " said Sachin Tendulkar.

The next Test series for India will be in January 2010 against Bangladesh. But the truly competitive series with more points on offer will be against the Proteas, later next year.

Even chief selector K Srikkanth feels the task of maintaining the position is a tough one if not impossible.

"It will be difficult to retain the No. 1 spot as everyone will be going for the push but I am confident that this team will be able to maintain it and continue the form they are in," Srikkanth said.

The composition of the team could well change over the next couple of seasons and with not many Tests scheduled in the FTP, winning Test matches is going to become all the more important if India want to hold onto the No 1 tag.