Fresh off picking up his 500th Test wicket, Ravichandran Ashiwn has now become the no.1 bowler in the ICC Test bowling rankings, released on Wednesday (Mar 13), eclipsing his teammate Jasprit Bumrah.
Ashwin reclaimed the top spot, courtesy of a nine-wicket haul in the final Test match against England in Dharamshala. The off-spinner accounted for four scalps in the first innings before snaffling up his 36th five-wicket haul in the second innings. His performance allowed India to wrap up the series 4-1 by cruising to a triumphant innings victory.
Ashwin first became the no.1 ranked ICC Test bowler in November 2015 and since then, has been one of the mainstays for the Indian team, especially in the Indian conditions.
The top ranking would be a little more special for Ashwin this time as he had to return home during the third Test in Rajkot to tend to his hospitalised mother in Chennai. Not only did Ashwin report back for duty but he also played a key part in ensuring India didn’t face any more hiccups in wrapping up the series.
Bumrah slipped to the second spot, having not played one of the matches during the Test series. He is tied with Australia’s Josh Hazlewood.
In the all-rounder rankings, Ashwin retains the second spot while his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja occupies the first place. Australian skipper Pat Cummins jumped two spots to eight after his performance during the Test series against New Zealand.
As for the team rankings, India retain the top spot in all three formats after claiming the numero uno position in Tests following the home victory in the just concluded series.
India are also at the top of World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle standing with 74 points and a win percentage of 68.51.
