The WTC final between India and Australia saw a great comeback from Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who returned to the squad after almost 18 months. Rahane proved himself amazingly as he performed for the team when it was needed the most. In the first innings of India,when the top order failed to perform, it was Rahane who scored 89 runs off 129 balls, he was accompanied by Shardul Thakur, who played a crucial innings too and scored 51 runs. After their performances, both players have moved up in the ICC test rankings.
Ashwin remains on top
Ajinkya Rahane is now on the 37th spot, while Shardul has climbed to 94th, and Ravichandran Ashwin has retained his top position as No. 1 bowler despite not playing in the World Test final.
In a rare feat, Australian batsmen have occupied the top three spots in the rankings, as Steve Smith and Travis Head have joined Marnus Labuschagne after their epic centuries in the WTC final. Although India lost the final at The Oval by 209 runs, Ajinkya Rahane’s score helped him return to the rankings, and Shardul climbed six places.
Rishabh Pant remains the highest ranked Indian player
The energetic Indian wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who is recuperating after a car accident, still remains the highest-ranked Indian player at number 10, while the skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain constant at the 12th and 13th positions, respectively.
The veteran bowler Ashwin was not a part of the playing XI in the World Test Championship final, but he is still the top-ranked test bowler, while his fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja continued at number nine. But Jasprit Bumrah has dropped two places to eighth, as the last time he played a test match was in July 2022. Currently, he is recovering from an injury.
Rare occurrence in the ranking chart
Labuschagne held onto his number-one spot with 903 rating points, while Smith moved up one spot after his 121 and 34-run innings. Head’s scores of 163 and 18 saw him move up three places. Although Smith and Head are in second and third positions, respectively, the race to second place will continue as Smith is on 885 rating points, Head is on 884, and New Zealand’s skipper Kane Williamson is on 883 points.
It is a rare occurrence, as batsmen from the same side have occupied the top three positions in the rankings. The last time this happened in the test rankings was in 1984, when West Indian players Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd, and Larry Gomes topped the list chart.
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