Ravichandran Ashwin crowned as No.1 Test bowler in the ICC Rankings

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has reached the summit of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, toppling England's James Anderson in the process. The veteran spinner ended the pacer's nine-day stint as the No.1 ranked bowler.

Anderson had overtaken Pat Cummins in the rankings following his breathtaking display in the first pink ball Test between England and New Zealand. The shift in the rankings saw the Australian skipper's four-year streak at the top come to an end.

Cummins slid to No.3 in the rankings, allowing Ravichandran Ashwin to take the spot right below the veteran English seamer. After England succumbed to a slender one-run defeat against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve, where Anderson finished with three wickets in the first innings and none in the second.

👑 A new No.1 👑

India's star spinner has replaced James Anderson at the top of the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings 👏

Details 👇

icc-cricket.com/news/3087832

The performance caused the pacer to lose seven rating points to 859, marginally ahead of third-placed Pat Cummins' 858.

R Ashwin, on the other hand, has 864 points to his name. He took six wickets in Team India's six-wicket win over Australia in Delhi in February 2022.

Ravindra Jadeja extended his lead atop the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders. The left-arm spinner-batter has 460 points to his name and has a comfortable lead over second-placed Ravichandran Ashwin.

The Gujarat-born player also rose to the eighth spot in the Test rankings for bowlers after claiming 10 wickets in the second Test against Australia in Delhi. His performance also included career-best figures of 7-42.

Ravichandran Ashwin has a career-best rating of 904 points

The Indian off-spinner recently reached the 450-wicket mark with the red ball during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. He has been a menace to the opposition batters in subcontinent conditions and is likely to hold onto the spot for at least a short while with two more Tests on home turf remaining.

Highest Test Rating Points by Indian Bowler in

Test - Ravichandran Ashwin (904)
ODI - Maninder Singh (851)
T20I - Ravichandran Ashwin (765)

His highest point came during the home series against England in 2016, where apart from holding the No.1 Test bowler ranking, he also had 904 points to his name, which is his personal best. The aforementioned points tally is the highest ever attained by an Indian bowler and 19th best overall.

How long will the senior off-spinner hold onto the No.1 Test bowler ranking? Let us know what you think.