ICC Test Rankings: Pant overtakes Kohli, Bumrah remains on top

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains India’s highest-ranked batter at four, while Jasprit Bumrah remains at the top of the bowlers’ rankings followed by teammate R Ashwin.

Rishabh Pant, on Wednesday, overtook his India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.

Fresh from a counter-attacking 99 in the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand, Pant gained three spots in the rankings while Kohli, who made a fluent 70 in Bengaluru, dropped a place to be eighth.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains India’s highest-ranked batter at four. India captain Rohit Sharma dropped two places to be joint 15th alongside Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne.

England star Joe Root maintains a healthy lead at the top of the charts.

New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra (up 36 places to 18th) and Devon Conway (up 12 spots to 36th) also made good ground on the latest list for Test batters, while teammate Matt Henry (up two rungs to ninth with a new career-high rating) was the big winner in bowlers’ category.

Henry picked up eight wickets during the Black Caps’ drought-breaking eight-wicket victory over India in Bengaluru, while teammate Will O’Rourke (up two spots to 39th) was also rewarded for his seven scalps from the same match.

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali was re-instated at 17th, following his 11 wickets across two innings against England, while teammate Sajid Khan gained 22 places to move to 50th after he was adjudged Player of the Match in the same contest.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah remains at the top of the bowlers’ rankings followed by teammate R Ashwin. Retaining the seventh sport, Ravindra Jadeja is another Indian in the top 10.

England’s Ben Duckett is also making waves, moving up three places to equal 11th after his century (114) against Pakistan, signaling his intent to break into the top 10. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Salman Agha has been one of the standout performers of the week. His scores of 31 and 63 saw him climb eight spots to 14th with a career-high rating. Salman, who has crossed 50 in three of his last four Test innings, now ranks as Pakistan’s highest-rated Test batter, surpassing prominent names like Babar Azam (19th), Mohammad Rizwan (21st), and Saud Shakeel (27th).

New Zealand’s players also made considerable progress. Rachin Ravindra surged up 36 places to 18th, while Devon Conway rose 12 spots to 36th following New Zealand’s triumph over India. In the bowling department, Matt Henry was a big mover, rising two places to a career-high ninth after an eight-wicket haul in the Black Caps’ eight-wicket victory over India.

Pakistan’s bowlers also saw significant gains, with spinner Noman Ali rising to 17th following his 11-wicket match against England. Teammate Sajid Khan leapt 22 places to 50th after his Player of the Match performance in the same contest.

With Thanks Reference to:https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/icc-test-rankings-rishabh-pant-overtakes-virat-kohli-2621822-2024-10-23 and https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/icc-test-rankings-rishabh-pant-overtakes-virat-kohli-batting-no-6-jasprit-bumrah-top-spot-bowling-ashwin-news/article68786360.ece