Axar surges to career-best ICC Test ranking, Kuldeep jumps 19 spots

India’s Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav rose up the latest ICC Test rankings
| Photo Credit: AP

India all-rounder Axar Patel jumped 20 spots to reach a career-best 18th position while spinner Kuldeep Yadav catapulted 19 places to 49th in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings released on Wednesday.

Kuldeep, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his eight for 113 in the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against Bangladesh, has 455 rating points.

Axar, who claimed five five scalps in the match, has 650 points as he broke into the top 20.

Meanwhile, the injured Jasprit Bumrah (4th) and Ravichandran Ashwin (5th) continued their stay in top five.

Among batters, veteran Cheteshwar Pujara and young Shubman Gill jumped 10 positions each to be 16th and 54th.

Pujara knocks of 90 and 102 in the first Test against Bangladesh last week helped him break into the top 20 with 664 rating points.

The other Indian centurion of the match, Gill is 54th with 517 rating points.

Shreyas Iyer’s first innings 86 has lifted him 11 places to 26th as wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant continues to remain the top-ranked Indian batter at number six.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed the opening Test due to thumb injury, is number nine while the talismanic Virat Kohli moved a spot to 12th.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has attained a career-best second position after notching two half-centuries in the final Test series against England in Karachi.

Babar’s knocks of 78 and 54 have helped him overtake Steve Smith, who managed 36 and six in a low-scoring game between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane.

Babar, who is ranked first in ODIs and fourth in T20Is, trails Marnus Labuschagne by 61 points in the Test rankings.

Australia batter Travis Head, whose first innings score of 92 was the highest in the Brisbane Test, has gained three slots to reach a career-best fourth position as he crosses the 800-rating point mark for the first time in his career.

His previous best was fifth position in January this year.

England captain Ben Stokes (up places to 23rd), South Africa’s Temba Bavuma (up eight places to 24th) and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (up four places to 37th) are some others to move up the batters’ list.

England’s Harry Brook is in the top 50 for the first time after scoring centuries in all three Tests in Pakistan.

In the bowlers’ rankings, South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada has gained four spots to reach third position after grabbing four wickets in each innings at Gabba.

Rabada, a formerly top-ranked bowler, was third in August this year before slipping down the table.

Australia’s six wicket win saw them consolidate their position at the top of the WTC table with India in second place.