Ravichandran Ashwin rises to 5th in Test All-Rounder Rankings after Chennai masterclass
Ravichandran Ashwin broke into the top 5 of the ICC Test Player Rankings for all-rounders, a day after winning the Man of the Match accolade for his superb performance in Chennai.
The Indian cricketer put in an outstanding performance with both bat and ball in the 2nd India vs England Test. Ravichandran Ashwin's 8 wickets and 119 runs helped India beat England by a mammoth 317 runs.
The ICC released the latest Test All-Rounder Rankings on Wednesday, as they officially announced Ravichandran Ashwin’s entry into the Top 5.
With 336 points, Ravichandran Ashwin is now just 16 points behind Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in fourth place. Prior to the latest update, Ravichandran Ashwin was 6th with 282 points.
His brilliant showing in Chennai has helped him overtake New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson. With 2 Tests remaining in the England series, a couple of strong outings could see Ravichandran Ashwin break into the Top 3 as well.
While Ravichandran Ashwin made a big gain, Ben Stokes’ poor performance saw him relinquish top spot to West Indies skipper Jason Holder (407 points).
The England all-rounder failed to assert himself in the 2nd Test, and dropped below Ravindra Jadeja to 3rd place with 397 points.
Ravichandran Ashwin had a home Test to remember
The 34-year-old hardly put a foot wrong in the 2nd Test, helping India bounce back to level the series. The off-spinner grabbed his 29th five-wicket-haul in the 1st innings and used the turning track to his advantage.
He then followed it up with a stunning hundred in the second innings, his 5th Test ton overall. Ravichandran Ashwin scored 106 off 148 balls, and his innings was the perfect example of how to bat on a tough track. He capped off his performance with 3 wickets in the 2nd innings, ending with match figures of 96/8.