Dubai: India legend Sachin Tendulkar has ended his record-breaking 200-Test career by finishing in the top 20 of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, which were released on Sunday.
Tendulkar has finished in 18th position, after jumping five places following his knock of 74 in his final innings in the Mumbai Test. He had entered the series in 24th, which was his lowest since 1992.
Tendulkar had made his Test debut against Pakistan in November 1989, after which he was ranked 97th with a total of 111 ratings points. He first made his way into the world’s top 50 in February 1990 after an innings of 88 against New Zealand at Napier.
His unbeaten 148 against Australia at Sydney in January 1992 had helped him move to 25th position. Later in the year, he made 111 against South Africa at Johannesburg to make his first appearance inside the top 20. His stars continued to rise and during the home series against England in early 1993, he reached the top 10.
With innings of 34 and 85 against the West Indies in Mumbai in November 1994, Tendulkar went top of the charts for the first time, overtaking Brian Lara.
Tendulkar held the position for only three months before Jimmy Adams, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara again took over.
However, after scoring an unbeaten 155 in Sydney in March 1998, Tendulkar regained the number-one ranking from Steve Waugh. He was on top for most of 1998 before Waugh and Lara reclaimed the top spots.
It was in May 2000 when Tendulkar went top again, edging ahead of Lara and he stayed there for more than a year, before Andy Flower sneaked ahead.
A flurry of runs, culminating in 176 against Flower’s Zimbabwe in Nagpur in early 2002, which pushed him up to his career-best 898 points – put him top again.
Adam Gilchrist leapfrogged him in September 2002, and it would take eight years for Tendulkar to regain the top spot after an innings of 214 and 53 not out against Australia in Bengaluru.
He clung onto top spot for the first half of 2011, albeit jointly with Jacques Kallis
However, a disappointing tour of England saw him drop out of the number-one place. He spent a total of 139 Tests (fourth most) and 1157 days (12th most) as the top-ranked batsman in Test cricket.
India players make positive gains
India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha have made upward movements in the top 10 of Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers.
While Ashwin has moved up a place to a career-best fifth with a best-ever 808 ratings points, Ojha has returned to the top 10 of the bowlers’ table with a jump of four places to ninth.
Ashwin picked up three for 45 and four for 89 in the two innings of the Mumbai Test, while Ojha ended with his first 10-wicket haul in Tests (10 for 89) to be named man of the match.
West Indies spinner Shane Shillingford has moved up a place to 16th, in the only other positive change inside the top 20.
South Africa’s Dale Steyn continues to head the bowlers’ table with teammate Vernon Philander in second position and Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath in third.
Meanwhile, India’s Cheteshwar Pujara has moved up two places to a career-best sixth in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with a best-ever 801 ratings points, following his knock of 113 in the Mumbai Test.
Other batsmen to move in the right direction are Virat Kohli in 21st (up by four), Murali Vijay in 42nd (up by two), Kieran Powell in 53rd (up by four) and Rohit Sharma in 58th (up by five).
The batting chart continues to be headed by AB de Villiers of South Africa, with teammate Hashim Amla in second place and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul in third place.