Team India is now number one across formats; R Ashwin takes 2nd spot in ICC Test Rankings
The ICC Rankings have been updated this week. Team India has achieved something incredible, as it is now the number one-ranked side across formats. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin has taken the second spot among bowlers in Tests.
FollowTeam India on Wednesday claimed the top spot in the latest ICC Test rankings to become the number one ranked side in all three formats of the game. India's big innings and 132-run win over Australia in the first Test catapulted the 'Men in Blue' to the top spot, dislodging the Pat Cummins-led team.
Already the top Twenty20 International (T20I) side, India had reached the number one spot in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) last month after beating New Zealand 3-0. India (115) is four rating points ahead of Australia (111) in the Test rankings, and a win in the second Test, starting Friday, will not only consolidate its top spot but also aid its push to enter its second consecutive ICC World Test Championship Final.
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India needs to win the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy 3-1 or 3-0 to make the Final. Among individuals, veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin jumped to the second spot in the Men's Test Bowlers Rankings following his eight-wicket show against Australia in Nagpur. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who made a successful comeback after almost five months due to a knee injury, has moved up to the 16th position courtesy of his Man-of-the-Match winning effort in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series-opener.
The spin duo haunted Australia in the opening Test by sharing 15 wickets between them, as India won by an innings 132 runs inside three days. Ashwin ensured India had a stunning conquest before tea on Day 3, as the veteran off-spinner took 5/37 in the second innings, with 3/42 earlier in the match.
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The 36-year-old is 21 rating points behind Australia captain Pat Cummins and is in contention to return to the number one ranking for the first time since 2017. While Ashwin stepped up in what turned out to be the final session of the Test, Jadeja did the damage on the opening day with 5/47, including the prized wickets of Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Jadeja then clasped 2/34 in the second Australian innings. Australia was bowled out for a paltry 91. Among other Indian bowlers, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been out of action since September last due to a lower back stress fracture, is ranked fifth. In the Test batting chart, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been rewarded for his match-defining ton in Nagpur. He gained a couple of places to become number eight.
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Rohit came to the crease after Australia were bundled out for 177 in its first innings, then made the wicket look all but tame with an assured 120, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who will be out of action indefinitely after his awful car accident, is the other Indian batter in the top 10. He is ranked seventh.
In contrast, Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja have paid the price for falling cheaply in a couple of instances. Warner has dropped six zones to 20th after scoring one and 10, while Khawaja has slipper a couple of places to 10th after only making one and five in the opening Test.
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The Australian duo of Labuschagne and Smith inhabit the top two places, with Pakistani skipper Babar Azam ranked third. Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has leapt six sites to seventh in Test all-rounder rankings after coming to the crease at a nervous 240/7. He hit a calm 84 for his top score in the format. The second Test between India and Australia will happen in New Delhi on Friday.
(With inputs from PTI)
