By beating Australia in Bengaluru, the Indian team is assured of retaining its number one Test ranking by the cutoff date of April 1. A cash prize of USD 1 million awaits the team.
"Victory in the 2nd Test against Australia assures India a No.1 finish on the April 1 cut-off date and a cash prize of USD 1 million," the ICC said in a tweet.
India was in danger of losing its number one ranking after its crushing defeat inside three days in Pune.
In a must-win game in Bengaluru, the team showed great resolve on a challenging pitch, to beat the visitors by 75 runs and square the series. Chasing 187, the Australians were bundled out for 112.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the star for the hosts with the ball, as he snared 6 wickets and engineered an Australian collapse, where they lost their last 6 wickets for 11 runs.
In the process, Ashwin with 269 wickets, went past Bishen Singh Bedi to become the fourth-highest wicket taker for India.
He also registered his 25th five-wicket haul in tests and is the fastest to achieve the feat in just 47 tests.
With the series tantalisingly poised, the action now moves to Ranchi which will be hosting a test match for the first time.