Rishabh Pant breaks into Top 10 of ICC Test Rankings for the first time in his career
Rishabh Pant has entered the Top 10 of the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen for the first time in his career. The Indian wicket-keeper reached the seventh position on the latest batting charts released by the ICC.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma also holds the seventh rank with 747 rating points, the same as Rishabh Pant. Incidentally, New Zealand's Henry Nicholls has the same tally as well.
Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson is at the helm of the rankings with 919 rating points. Australia's Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are behind him while England skipper Joe Root and Indian captain Virat Kohli retained their fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Rishabh Pant gained seven places after recording his maiden Test ton on home soil in the final Test against England. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, jumped one spot courtesy of his patient knock of 49 runs in Ahmedabad.
Speaking of other changes in the batting charts, Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara dropped down the list after uneventful outings in Ahmedabad. Pujara has slipped out of the Top 10 while Rahane and Stokes fell one place each to settle in the 12th and 13th positions, respectively.
Rishabh Pant helped Team India to reach the ICC World Test Championship Final
Rishabh Pant was not Team India's first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests a few months ago. However, when he earned a spot in the squad during the team's tour of Australia. Pant grabbed the opportunity with both hands and cemented his place in the team.
Rishabh Pant has aggregated 515 runs in six Test matches so far in 2021. His knocks in Brisbane and Ahmedabad helped Team India qualify for the ICC World Test Championship Final.
Pant bagged the inaugural ICC Player of the Month award last year. Looking at his consistent performances with the bat, it won't be a surprise if he breaks into the Top 5 of the ICC batting rankings soon.