ICC Test Rankings: Mayank Agarwal nears top 10, Mohammed Shami rises to 7th spot
What's the story?
The latest ICC Test rankings have been released where Indian stars Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Shami have gained big. While Shami's seven-wicket match haul against Bangladesh has secured him the 7th position in the bowlers' rankings, the double centurion Agarwal has climbed to the 11th rank in the batsmen's leader-board.
Also see – World Test Championship points table
The background
India defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 130 runs in the first Test of their two-match series. The right-handed opening batsman Agarwal had dominated the opposition bowlers with his knock of 243 runs while vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja supported him with a fifty each.
In the bowling department, the Indian pacers ruled the roost as the trio of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami accounted for 14 Bangladeshi wickets at the Holkar Stadium. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin scalped the remaining six wickets to send the Bangladeshi side packing.
From the losing side, Mushfiqur Rahim scored 107 runs in the match while fast bowler Abu Jayed scalped 4 wickets in the Indian innings.
The heart of the matter
Agarwal, who has played with supreme consistency in the year 2019, has jumped seven positions to attain a career-best 11th spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen. Meanwhile Shami now has 790 rating points, and he has climbed eight positions to stand at the seventh rank among bowlers.
The other two pace bowlers, Ishant and Umesh, have attained the 20th and the 22nd ranks respectively.
Ravindra Jadeja’s fine form with the bat has helped him secure the 35th position in the batsmen’s rankings while Ashwin has risen to the 4th rank in the all-rounders’ rankings.
From Bangladesh, Abu Jayed has climbed 18 positions to reach the 62nd rank whereas Mushfiqur Rahim has advanced to the 30th spot.
With this win, India have gained a big lead in the points table of the ICC World Test Championship. They now stand 240 points clear of the 2nd-placed New Zealand team.
Also Read - ICC World Test Championship Points Table (Updated) as of 16th November 2019
What's next?
The second Test match between India and Bangladesh will begin from 22 November in Kolkata. This contest will mark both the teams’ first ever appearance in day-night Test cricket.