 "Rishabh Pant moved to No. 7 spot in the batting rankings. Image: Reuters")
India’s star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has jumped to seventh in the latest ICC Test rankings for batters, which is his highest-ever position. The Indian vice-captain performed brilliantly in the first Test against England at Leeds, where he scored two centuries (134 and 118) in the same match.
Pant became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to hit two hundreds in a single match and the only Indian to do so in England. Before him, Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower was the only player to achieve this rare feat. During the match, he also surpassed MS Dhoni in the list of most centuries by an Indian keeper in Tests.
Meanwhile, India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill also gained in the latest rankings. He is now ranked the 20th best batter thanks to his century in the first innings of the Leeds Test, which India lost by five wickets despite setting England a big target of 371. England chased down 350 runs on Day 5 to take 1-0 lead in the series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal , who also scored a century in the first Test, remains the best-ranked Indian batter in Tests. He is currently placed at the No. 4 position, right behind Joe Root, Harry Brook and Kane Williamson.
Bumrah maintains No. 1 position in bowling rankings
There was little change in the rankings for Test bowlers, with India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah maintaining his place at the top of charts following yet another five-wicket haul in the Headingley Test.
Meanwhile, Ben Duckett , who was adjudged Player of the Match for his scores of 62 and 149 in England’s victory, jumped five places to eighth in the rankings. Duckett’s teammates Ollie Pope (up three spots to 19th) and Jamie Smith (up eighth places to 27th) also made significant gains.
Root still No. 1 ranked Test batter
England veteran Joe Root remained the No.1 ranked Test batter, with teammate Harry Brook his closest challenger. England skipper Ben Stokes gained three places to move up to fifth in the list for Test all-rounders following solid contributions with both bat and ball across the same game.
The drawn first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh saw a host of their players make some inroads in the latest batters’ rankings. Mushfiqur Rahim led the way, following his innings of 163 in Galle.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRahim gained 11 spots to move to 28th for Test batters, while teammate Najmul Hossain Shanto jumps a whopping 21 places to improve to 29th on the same list after he scored a pair of tons in the same match.
(With agency inputs)