Ashwin became number 1 leaving Bumrah behind

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Dubai . India’s veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is back at the top of the ICC men’s Test bowling rankings after taking nine wickets in his 100th Test in Dharamsala.

Ashwin took wickets (4-51) and (5-77) against England in Dharamsala as India won the fifth and final Test by an innings and 64 runs and won the series 4-1.

After this big win, India has reached the top of the ICC World Test Championship table.

Ashwin captured the top spot, leaving behind compatriot and team’s main fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. He became number one for the first time in December 2015.

Player of the match Kuldeep Yadav, who became the fastest Indian to take 50 Test wickets, has moved up 15 places to a career-best 16th position after taking seven wickets in the match.

India captain Rohit Sharma (up five places to sixth) and Shubman Gill (up 11 places to a career-best 20th) also made gains, while player of the series Yashasvi Jaiswal moved up two places to eighth.

Jaiswal, a left-handed opening batsman, has collected 740 rating points after nine Tests, only two batsmen, Australian Don Bradman (752) and Mike Hussey (741) had achieved so many rating points after the same number of Tests.

England batsmen Jack Crawley and Jonny Bairstow have moved up one place each in the batting rankings, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has moved up 11 places to 71st.

Australia, on the other hand, secured second place behind India in the WTC table with a 2-0 series win over New Zealand in Christchurch.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey’s match-winning unbeaten 98 runs has lifted him from 50th to 38th position.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood continued his impressive form by taking six wickets, including a five-for, in the match, taking his tally to 35 wickets at an average of 15.31 for the season and moving him second behind Ashwin in the bowlers’ rankings.

This is equal to his best ever position in the ranking, which he first achieved in February 2017.

Despite his highest bowling rating of 864, achieved in March 2017, Hazlewood has never been at the top position. Only Kapil Dev (877), Ryan Harris (870), Courtney Walsh (868) and Rangana Herath (866) have peaked higher without reaching the number one spot.

New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry’s impressive figures of seven for 67 in the first innings helped him move up six places to 12th and get over 700 points for the first time in his career. He is also at sixth position among all-rounders.

Australia’s Mitchell Marsh (up eight places to 55th) and New Zealand players Tom Latham (up six places to 35th) and Rachin Ravindra (up 10 places to 66th) are the other players to move up in the batting rankings.

–IANS

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