DUBAI – Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Lokesh Rahul have attained career-high positions in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after figuring in an important partnership that helped India defeat Sri Lanka by an innings and 171 runs to complete a 3-0 rout of the home side.
Left-hander Dhawan, who top-scored with 119 in in the final Test in Pallekele, has moved up 10 places to 28th position after India won inside three days on Monday. This was the Delhi batsman’s second century in three Tests as he finished with 358 runs and was named player of the series.
Rahul has moved up two positions to equal his career-best ninth position after a contribution of 85 in the opening stand of 188 that came in under 40 overs. Rahul has thus equalled his career-best ninth rank attained in July this year but the present tally of 761 ratings points is his highest till date.
In the list for all-rounders, Jadeja has lost the top slot to Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hassan after missing the Pallekele Test owing to a one-match suspension after accumulating six demerit points inside a 24-month period. Jadeja has slipped one point behind Shakib’s tally of 431 points but remains at the top of the bowling rankings.
Top-ranked India and seventh-placed Sri Lanka have retained their positions in the team rankings with India gaining two points to reach 125 points, increasing its lead over South Africa to 15 points.
Pakistan stand sixth in the Team rankings.
Meanwhile, England hosts the West Indies for a three-Test series starting Thursday, which it may have to win in order to remain in third position, depending on the results of a two-Test series between Bangladesh and Australia that starts later this month but ends earlier on 8 September. Australia will go up to 101 points if it wins the series 2-0.
The Test team rankings, unlike the ODI and T20I rankings, are updated after the end of the series.
MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 15 August, after the third and final Test between Sri Lanka and India in Pallekele)
Top 10 batsmen
1 Steve Smith (Aus) – 941 points
2 Joe Root (Eng) – 891
3 Kane Williamson (NZ) – 880
4 Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 876
5 Virat Kohli (India) – 806
6 Jonny Bairstow (Eng) – 772
7 Azhar Ali (Pak) – 769
8 Hashim Amla (SA) – 764
9 KL Rahul (India) – 761
10 Ajinkya Rahane (Ind) – 760
Top 10 bowlers
1 Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) – 884 points
2 Jimmy Anderson (Eng) – 860
3 Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) – 852
4 Josh Hazlewood (Aus) – 826
5 Rangana Herath (SL) – 809
6 Kagiso Rabada (SA) – 785
7 Stuart Broad (Eng) – 775
8 Dale Steyn (SA) – 763
9 Vernon Philander (SA) – 751
10 Neil Wagner (NZ) – 745
Top five all-rounders
1. Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) – 431
2. Ravi Jadeja (Ind) – 430
3. Ravi Ashwin (Ind) – 422
4. Moeen Ali (Eng) – 409
5. Ben Stokes (Eng) – 360
Top 10 Teams
1. India – 125 (+2)
2. South Africa – 110
3. England – 105
4. Australia – 100
5. New Zealand – 97
6. Pakistan – 93
7. Sri Lanka – 90 (-1)
8. West Indies – 75
9. Bangladesh – 69
10. Zimbabwe – 00
