Ravichandran Ashwin Reclaims No. 1 Spot in ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has reclaimed the top position in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings, following a stellar performance in his 100th Test match, where he claimed a nine-wicket match haul.
In the match against England, Ashwin returned impressive hauls of four for 51 and five for 77, contributing significantly to India’s innings and 64-run victory in Dharamsala. This win sealed a 4-1 victory for India in the ICC World Test Championship series.
Ashwin’s return to the top spot, previously held by fellow Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah, marks his sixth stint at the pinnacle of the rankings. He first achieved this feat in December 2015.
Kuldeep Yadav, who was named Player of the Match, has also seen a significant rise in his ranking. After becoming the fastest Indian to take 50 Test wickets in terms of balls bowled, Yadav has moved up 15 places to a career-best 16th position.
Notable gains were also made by India captain Rohit Sharma, who moved up five places to sixth, and Shubman Gill, who climbed 11 places to a career-best 20th position. Player of the Series Yashasvi Jaiswal moved up two places to eighth after scoring a half-century.
Jaiswal’s impressive performance has earned him 740 rating points after just nine Tests, a feat surpassed only by Australians Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741).
England’s Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have each moved up a slot in the batting rankings, while spinner Shoaib Bashir has advanced 11 places to 71st position.
Australia secured a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Christchurch, placing them second behind India in the WTC table. Alex Carey’s match-winning 98 not out has propelled him from 50th to 38th in the rankings.
Josh Hazlewood’s six-wicket haul in the match, including a five-for, has moved him to second position behind Ashwin. This equals his best-ever position in the rankings, first achieved in February 2017.
Matt Henry’s first innings figures of seven for 67 have helped him advance six places to 12th and cross the 700-point mark for the first time in his career. He also moved up to sixth among all-rounders.
Other players to move up the batting rankings include Australian Mitchell Marsh, New Zealand’s Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra.
In the Men’s ODI Rankings, Ireland’s Harry Tector and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz have made significant gains. Ibrahim Zadran and Fazalhaq Farooqi have also moved up in the latest update.
The Men’s T20I Rankings saw Muhammad Waseem and Junaid Siddiqui move up in the batting and bowling rankings respectively, following their performances in the first T20I in Dubai.
Other players to move up in the rankings include Michael Levitt of the Netherlands, Najmul Hossain Shanto of Bangladesh, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh, and Ayan Afzal Khan of the UAE.