The Indian captain Rohit Sharma returned to the top five in the ICC Test batting rankings for the first time since September 2021. The International Cricket Council (ICC) updated its ranking on Wednesday, September 11, making the seasoned player the top-ranked Indian batter.
In the most recent rankings, fellow countrymen Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal also climbed to No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. The two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, which starts on Thursday, September 19, will provide the troika of Rohit, Kohli, and Jaiswal with an opportunity to raise their rankings.
By amassing 400 runs at the top of the order at an average of 44 from nine innings, Rohit Sharma further cemented his dominance in the meantime.
Earlier this year, when India played England at home in their final Test match, Jaiswal smashed a number of records. In nine innings against the British, the southpaw scored 712 runs at an astounding 89 average. Throughout the series, Jaiswal scored two double hundreds. But for personal reasons, Kohli chose not to play in the series.
Despite losing the England Test series, Sri Lankan hitters are rising up the charts.
After hitting a vital half-century in the first innings of the third and final Test against England, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka’s red-ball skipper, rose to No. 13 in the rankings for Test batsmen. On the list, he holds the top spot for batters from Sri Lanka. In the meantime, Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis both rose to 19th and 39th, respectively.
After making 64 and 127 not out to lead Sri Lanka to a historic victory at the Kennington Oval, the former shot up six rankings, while the latter shot up 42 spots. Although they were defeated 1-2 in the series, the tourists did win a Test match in England for the first time in ten years.
Also Read: In Test cricket, Ricky Ponting compares Rishabh Pant to MS Dhoni
Joe Root, meanwhile, was unable to raise his rating point total from 922. In actuality, it fell to 899. He is still in the lead on the batting rankings chart in the game’s longest format, though. With strong performances during New Zealand’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka, Kane Williamson, ranked No. 2, might surpass Root’s total.