Ajinkya Rahane has become India’s highest-ranked Test batsman in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings after scoring two centuries in his side’s 337 runs victory over South Africa in the New Delhi Test, which gave the home side a 3-0 series win.
The 27-year-old from Maharashtra had entered the Test in 26th spot, but after scoring 127 and 100 not out, he has stormed up 14 places to claim a career-high 12th position. In doing so, Rahane has leapfrogged Virat Kohli (up by two places to 14th), Murali Vijay (down by four places to 16th) and Cheteshwar Pujara (down by two places to 17th) as India now has four batsmen inside the top 20.
Ravichandran Ashwin is the other batsman who has improved his ranking post the New Delhi Test. Ashwin scored 56 in his only innings, which has helped him move up five places to 46th.
With the ball, Ashwin returned figures of two for 26 and five for 61, and though his performance has helped him gain 15 points to reduce the gap with table-topper Dale Steyn to just four points, it has allowed him to move ahead of Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan as the new number-one ranked Test all-rounder.
India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has continued to head in the right direction. The 27-year-old, who won the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2008 along with Kohli, had started the series in 30th position. From the New Delhi Test alone, in which he picked up seven wickets, Jadeja has gained four places to earn a career-best seventh position.
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav has also been rewarded for his figures of two for 32 and three for nine as he has vaulted 13 places to achieve a career-best 32nd position.
The only good news for South Africa is the movement of fast bowler Kyle Abbott, whose five for 40 and one for 47, has allowed him to gain 24 places. He now shares a career-best 43rd position with Sri Lanka’s Shaminda Eranga.
ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 8 December, after the conclusion of New Delhi Test and before the start of Australia-West Indies and New Zealand-Sri Lanka series) Batsmen (top 20)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Ave HS Rating
1= ( - ) Steven Smith Aus 886 55.34 936 v Eng at Lord's 2015
( - ) Joe Root Eng 886 54.90 917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
3 ( - ) AB de Villiers SA 881 51.39 935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
4 ( - ) Kane Williamson NZ 876 48.36 893 v Aus at Perth 2015
5 ( - ) David Warner Aus 862 50.48 880 v NZ at Perth 2015
6 ( - ) Angelo Mathews SL 851 51.43 877 v NZ at Christchurch 2014
7 (+1) Younus Khan Pak 826 53.94 880 v SL at Lahore 2009
8 (-1) Hashim Amla SA 810 50.64 907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013
9 ( - ) Alastair Cook Eng 803 47.47 874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012
10 ( - ) Ross Taylor NZ 787 46.61 871 v WI at Hamilton 2013
11 ( - ) Misbah-ul-Haq Pak 764 48.89 842 v NZ at Abu Dhabi 2014
12 (+14) Ajinkya Rahane Ind 753! 44.97 753 v SA at Delhi 2015
13 ( - ) Asad Shafiq Pak 726 43.28 746 v Eng at Dubai 2015
14 (+2) Virat Kohli Ind 725 44.02 784 v NZ at Wellington 2014
15 (-1) S.Chanderpaul WI 720 51.37 901 v NZ at Napier 2008
16 (-4) Murali Vijay Ind 697 41.09 747 v SA at Bengaluru 2015
17 (-2) C. Pujara Ind 696 47.45 851 v SA at Durban 2013
18 (-2) Sarfraz Ahmed Pak 691* 46.28 715 v SL at Galle 2015
19 (-1) B. McCullum NZ 686 38.40 760 v SL at Christchurch 2014
20 (-1) Azhar Ali Pak 673 43.37 753 v SL at Pallekele 2012
Bowlers (top 20)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts Avge HS Rating
1 ( - ) Dale Steyn SA 875 22.56 909 v WI at Centurion 2014
2 ( - ) R. Ashwin Ind 871! 25.39 871 v SA at Delhi 2015
3= ( - ) James Anderson Eng 846 28.96 847 v WI at Barbados 2015
( - ) Yasir Shah Pak 846*! 24.17 846 v Eng at Sharjah 2015
5 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 840 29.12 852 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
6 ( - ) Trent Boult NZ 809 28.12 825 v Eng at Lord's 2015
7 (+4) Ravindra Jadeja Ind 789*! 23.76 789 v SA at Delhi 2015
8 ( - ) Rangana Herath SL 751 29.49 851 v Pak at Colombo (SSC) 2014
9 (-2) Vernon Philander SA 746 22.08 912 v Ind at Johannesburg 2013
10 (-1) Morne Morkel SA 726 29.30 776 v Aus at Cape Town 2011
11 (-1) Josh Hazlewood Aus 708*! 24.16 708 v NZ at Adelaide 2015
12 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 692*! 30.58 692 v NZ at Adelaide 2015
13 ( - ) Saeed Ajmal Pak 669 28.10 855 v Zim at Harare 2013
14 ( - ) Tim Southee NZ 650 32.78 799 v WI at Jamaica 2014
15 ( - ) Kemar Roach WI 642 28.21 774 v SA at Centurion 2014
16 ( - ) D. Prasad SL 632*! 35.97 632 v WI at Colombo (PSS) 2015
17 ( - ) Nathan Lyon Aus 628 34.02 648 v Eng at Melbourne 2013
18 ( - ) Peter Siddle Aus 620 30.02 816 v Eng at Old Trafford 2013
19 ( - ) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 614 33.29 700 v Zim at Khulna 2014
20 (+1) Jerome Taylor WI 583* 32.99 717 v Eng at Jamaica 2009
All-rounders (top five)
Rank (+/-) Player Team Pts HS Rating
1 (+1) R. Ashwin Ind 406 419 v WI at Mumbai 2013
2 (-1) Shakib Al Hasan Ban 384 419 v Zim at Khulna 2014
3 ( - ) Stuart Broad Eng 315 382 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2012
4 ( - ) Vernon Philander SA 298*/ 376 v Aus at Cape Town 2014
5 ( - ) Mitchell Starc Aus 260*/*! 260 v NZ at Adelaide 2015
*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after playing 40 Test innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating when he reaches 100 Test wickets.
!indicates career-highest rating
