Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli rise, Ajinkya Rahane drops in latest ICC Test rankings
England batsman Joe Root has moved to the second position in the latest ICC Test rankings after scoring his 11th century during the first Test against India at Rajkot. Sri Lanka’s new captain, Rangana Herath, also climbed to the second position in the bowlers’ rankings after Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win against Zimbabwe at Harare.
With a 124 against his name in the first innings, Root went past New Zealand star Kane Williamson to grab the second spot in the batting charts. The No.1 rank is still occupied by Australian captain Steve Smith, who’s clear of the Englishman by 42 points.
Ajinkya Rahane witnessed a drop of four points from his original place, sliding down to the ninth spot, just ahead of Alastair Cook who gained one place to reach tenth. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, at 11th and 14th position respectively, are the other Indians in the top-20. Murali Vijay, with his seventh Test hundred, rose two places to reach the 23rd spot.
Teenager Haseeb Hameed, who impressed everyone with his dexterity against India’s spin battery, made an entry into the list, claiming the 64th spot.
In the bowlers’ rankings, Herath’s thirteen wickets in the second Test against Zimbabwe helped his side clinch the series 2-0, pushing him ahead of injured pacers Dale Steyn and James Anderson.
He is still one place below India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who maintained his top spot despite a poor showing with the ball in the first Test at Rajkot. Ravindra Jadeja is the only other Indian in the top-10, holding his place at No.7
England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid was another beneficiary from the latest rankings, jumping 17 places to reach the 61st spot in the rankings. His teammate Ben Stokes claimed a career-best ranking, climbing over Moeen Ali to reach third place.
ICC batsmen’s top 10
| Rank | Player | Ranking Points |
| 1 | Steve Smith (AUS) | 886 |
| 2 | Joe Root (ENG) | 844 |
| 3 | Kane Williamson (NZ) | 841 |
| 4 | Younis Khan (PAK) | 832 |
| 5 | Hashim Amla (SA) | 803 |
| 6 | AB de Villiers (RSA) | 794 |
| 7 | David Warner (AUS) | 793 |
| 8 | Adam Voges (AUS) | 778 |
| 9 | Ajinkya Rahane (IND) | 777 |
| 10 | Alastair Cook (ENG) | 765 |
ICC bowler’s top 10
| Rank | Player | Ranking Points |
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin (IND) | 881 |
| 2 | Rangana Herath (SL) | 867 |
| 3 | Dale Steyn (SA) | 861 |
| 4 | James Anderson (ENG) | 844 |
| 5 | Yasir Shah (PAK) | 820 |
| 6 | Stuart Broad (ENG) | 805 |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 796 |
| 8 | Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 777 |
| 9 | Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 732 |
| 10 | Neil Wagner (NZ) | 731 |