Ashwin becomes the best Test all-rounder
After his all-round performance in the fourth Test between India and South Africa, Ravichandran Ashwin has become the highest-ranked all-rounder in the latest ICC Test Rankings. He moved up one place to replace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan as the best all-rounder.
Ashwin scored 56 in the first innings of the fourth Test and picked up seven wickets in the Test. It was his sixth fifty in Test match cricket. For a batsman who bats primarily at Number 8 or Number 9, Ashwin has a healthy average of 31.68 with two centuries to his name.
His batting performance took him up five places to the 46th spot in the Test Rankings for batsmen. Rahane moved up to 12th place to become the highest-ranked Indian batsman, following his brilliant twin centuries.
In the second innings, Ashwin's five-wicket haul was the fourth of his career. He finished the series with 31 wickets in four Test matches. Although he maintains his second spot in the rankings for Test bowlers, he has reduced the gap with Dale Steyn by 15 points to just four points.
Most Indian bowlers had excellent outings in the fourth Test, and this showed in the bowlers’ rankings table. Left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja was probably the most impressive of the lot as he stormed into the top ten.
After having a forgetful 2014, Jadeja had to go back to playing Ranji Trophy to earn a place in the national squad. He did that in style, as he picked up 37 wickets in just six innings for Saurashtra.
Before the India-South Africa Test series, Jadeja was ranked 30th in the rankings table. Four Test matches and 23 wickets later, he has now achieved a career-best seventh position. This is a phenomenal achievement for someone who was written off after his poor showing in previous series.
Umesh Yadav, who replaced Amit Mishra for the fourth Test, picked up five wickets in the Test match as he also attained a career-high ranking of 32, moving up 13 places.
Only one South African bowler made any sort of progress in the rankings, as Kyle Abbott achieved a career-best ranking of 43 after climbing up 24 places. Abbott bowled well in the first innings as he picked up his second five-wicket haul in Tests.
Top 5 All-rounders:
| Rank | Player (Team) | Points |
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 406 |
| 2 | Shakib-Al-Hasan (Bangladesh) | 384 |
| 3 | Stuart Broad (England) | 315 |
| 4 | Vernon Philander (South Africa) | 298 |
| 5 | Mitchell Starc (Australia) | 260 |
Top 10 Bowlers:
| Rank | Bowler (Team) | Points |
| 1 | Dale Steyn (South Africa) | 875 |
| 2 | Ravichandran Ashwin (India) | 871 |
| 3 | James Anderson (England) | 846 |
| 4 | Yasir Shah (Pakistan) | 846 |
| 5 | Stuart Broad (England) | 840 |
| 6 | Trent Boult (New Zealand) | 809 |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja (India) | 789 |
| 8 | Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) | 751 |
| 9 | Vernon Philander (South Africa) | 746 |
| 10 | Morne Morkel (South Africa) | 726 |