Updated ICC player rankings for Tests

The International Cricket Council recently updated their player rankings for Tests, and it is notable to see India’s Cheteshwar Pujara move up the table from seventh to sixth position following his outstanding form. It is commendable to say that the right-handed batsman is the only Indian in the top 20.

Elsewhere in the list, England players made big gains in the rankings, after Alastair Cook’s side won the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s by a convincing 347 runs.

The backbone of England’s win- Ian Bell – who was the unsung hero with 109 and 74 in the Lord’s Test, jumped up to 11th position and young Joe Root ascended 21 places to 26th position, courtesy of his match winning knock of 180.

However, the top five batsmen in the table – Amla, Chanderpaul, de Villiers, Sangakkara and Michael Clarke – firmly held on to their places in the rankings, which was released on Monday.

Meanwhile, in the rankings for bowlers, James Anderson moved up one place to tie with Australia’s Peter Siddle in the fifth position. English off-spinner Graeme Swann, who played a massive role in retaining glory for England in the Test at Lord’s, with a total match haul of nine wickets, also moved up one position to the 7th spot, just five ratings points behind Anderson and Siddle.