ICC Test Rankings: Joe Root reclaims top position, Virat Kohli remains at 10th spot

Following a masterful 176 in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand, Joe Root has once again reclaimed the top position in the ICC Test Rankings. Root was in the first place in December 2021 before being replaced by Marnus Labuschagne after a disappointing end to the 2021/22 Ashes. This century was Root’s second in a couple of matches and tenth since the start of 2021. Root wasn’t the only English player who moved up in the ICC rankings following their win against New Zealand. The match-winner of the second Test, Jonny Bairstow, moved up 13 to 39th, while England captain Ben Stokes moved from the 27th to the 22nd. Ollie Pope, who scored an excellent 145 in the second Test, also moved up by 22 places to 53rd. After only his second game, bowler Matthew Potts moved up to 59th in the test bowler rankings.

New Zealand standout Daryl Mitchell, who scored 252 total runs in the second Test after a century in the opening Test, moved up to a career-high ranking of 17th. The Kiwi batter scored a superb 190 in New Zealand’s first innings in the second Test before remaining unbeaten on 62 in the second innings. Trent Boult reclaimed a top 10 position in the Test bowler ranking after taking eight wickets in the second test loss to England.

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For India, Ishan Kishan moved from 76th to seventh in the T20I batter ranking following a string of excellent scores against South Africa. Kishan has scored 164 runs in the opening three games of the T20I series against South Africa to become the highest-ranked Indian batter in the current T20I rankings. Virat Kohli moved down to third in the ODI rankings as Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq moved up to the second spot following a man of the series display against West Indies in which he scored three consecutive fifties. On the other hand, Kohli remained tenth in Tests.