Jasprit Bumrah continues ascent, Ravichandran Ashwin falls in latest ICC Test rankings
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin drew contrasting fortunes in the latest ICC Test rankings for players.
Bumrah, on the back of his superb four-wicket hall in the 4th India-England Test at the Oval, jumped a spot to No. 9 in the rankings. The right-armer was by far the best bowler from either team in the game. His reverse swing masterclass on Day 5 proved to be the most pivotal moment for India.
Interestingly, Bumrah's rise coincided with a substantial fall of his opposite number, James Anderson, in the ICC rankings. The veteran pacer looked exhausted at The Oval. Although he was economical, Anderson picked up just 2 wickets from the game. He's now perched at No. 7, two spots down from the last release.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin bore the brunt of sitting out the first four Tests. Although the off-spinner maintained his No. 2 spot in the ICC rankings for bowlers, he lost one spot in the all-rounder charts and is now placed at No. 5. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan replaced him at No. 4.
Chris Woakes, who was also brilliant in the 4th Test, was rewarded with a gain of two rankings in the list. He dethroned Colin de Grandhomme to sit at No. 9.
Rohit Sharma gains a 30-point lead over Virat Kohli in ICC Test rankings
On the other side of the ledger, there was no change in ICC top-10 rankings for the batsmen. Virat Kohli gained a crucial 17 points, courtsey of his half-century and 44 in the 4th Test. However, Kohli was unable to re-enter the top-5 as Rohit Sharma, on the back of his stunning hundred, extended the lead over his captain by 30 points.
England captain Joe Root comfortably retained his top spot, as did Australia's Pat Cummins (for bowlers) and West Indies' Jason Holder (for all-rounders).