ICC Men’s Test Rankings: KL Rahul climbed 18 slots, Shami and Bhumra too gained places in the latest rankings
Making it to the 31st rank in the latest ICC Men’s Test Rankings is India’s opening batsman and stand-in captain KL Rahul. He made a successful 18 slot jump to occupy the position in the batters’ list. He was also awarded the Player of the Match title for his outstanding performance in the first Test match in Centurion. His century in the first innings helped India defeat South Africa by 113 runs. KL Rahul has stepped into the captain’s position for the ongoing second match by replacing injured skipper Virat Kohli.
KL Rahul takes a long jump in ICC Rankings
Currently, India is leading the three-match ICC World Test Championship series by 1-0. With a win at the Centurion, India became the first Asian country to do so at the venue. KL Rahul scored 123 runs and made a much-needed opening partnership of 117 runs with Mayank Agrawal. However, Rahul entered the top ten list only once in November 2017 and acquired the eighth position.
Other Indians who climbed up the rankings and KL Rahul are fast pacers- Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. The former moved three places up and gained the ninth position in the bowler’s ranking, while the latter ranked 17th after jumping up two places.
Both the Indian bowlers bowled fabulously in Centurion and were at their best in the white-ball format. Bumrah and Shammi pocketed five and eight wickets, respectively, in the first Test. Also, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stayed at the second position after the recent rankings. Despite the mixed outings in the series, batters Ajinkya Rahane and Mayank Agarwal also rose the places.
With 77 runs on the scoreboard in the second innings, opener and South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar acquired 14th place in the rankings. Meanwhile, batter Temba Bavuma moved up by 16 places and ranked 39th after scoring 52 and 35 runs not out.
On the other hand, bowler Kagiso Rabada climbed up one spot and occupied the sixth position. While Lungi Ngidi took eight wickets in the match and jumped 16 places to gain 30th place. Marco Jensen also managed to grab the 97th position in the rankings.