Ravi Ashwin dethrones Jasprit Bumrah to become new No. 1 ranked bowler in tests

Ravi Ashwin picked up 26 wickets in the five-match test series against England.

Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dethroned his teammate Jasprit Bumrah to become the new No. 1 ranked bowler in the latest ICC test bowling rankings, after finishing with a nine-wicket haul in his 100th match in the fifth game of the series against England in Dharamshala.

The 37-year-old Ashwin was at his brilliant best throughout the Dharamshala test against England. The spinner picked up four wickets in the first and then claimed his 36th five-wicket haul in the second innings, as India cruised to a dominant triumph in the match.

Ashwin, who first became No. 1 in the ICC test rankings in November 2015, was rewarded for his heroics in the recently concluded series against the Three Lions, which India won 4-1. He also bagged two five-wicket hauls across the five tests.

The 37-year-old also returned home midway through the Rajkot test due to a family medical emergency and later on rejoined the Indian side on the fourth day. Ravichandran Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match test series against England with 26 wickets to his name.

After this stunning performance, Ashwin moved past right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah into the premier position in the rankings.

The Indian pacer has slipped to the third spot, while Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood, who took six wickets in the second test against New Zealand in Christchurch, jumped to the second position.

Ashwin’s Indian teammate Kuldeep Yadav has earned a new career-high ranking and jumps 15 places to 16th overall on the latest test rankings for bowlers, following his seven wickets and Player of the Match heroics against England. Meanwhile, Kiwi Matt Henry (up six spots to 12th) also moves up to a career-best mark.

Pat Cummins, who led his team to a 2-0 sweep in New Zealand in March, is at the No. 5 spot in the latest ICC test bowling rankings. Cummins picked up six wickets in two tests, as he aced the Trans-Tasman battle along with Hazlewood, who picked up 10 wickets in the New Zealand series.

Rohit Sharma storms into top 10 in latest ICC test batting rankings

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has jumped five places to move into the sixth position in the latest ICC test batting rankings, which were released on 13th March.

Sharma, who had earlier slipped out of the top 10 after January, was in 11th place just before the fifth test match against England. The right-handed batter hammered a crucial century in the first innings in Dharamshala, where India won the match by an innings and 64 runs.

Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who slammed 712 runs in the five-match test series against England, also jumped two spots to reach a new career-high position of eighth. Ace batter Virat Kohli, who missed the entire England series due to personal reasons, continues to be in the top 10. Kohli is currently in ninth position, just behind Jaiswal.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, with 859 rating points, continues to be at the top of the rankings. England’s Joe Root takes the second spot, despite not performing well in the India test series. Pakistan’s Babar Azam jumped two spots and is now in third place with 768 rating points. 

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