R Ashwin’s magic continues in Test Ranking, still on top even after being out in WTC Final

Despite missing the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retained the top spot in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test rankings released on Wednesday. There is no change in the status of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They are stable at 12th and 13th position respectively. Veteran Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane has moved up to 37th position, while all-rounder Shardul Thakur has gained 94th position in the Test batting rankings.

 

In a special achievement, three Australian batsmen have occupied the top three positions in the rankings. Marnus Labuschagne continues at the top while Steve Smith and Travis Head, who scored centuries in the WTC final win against India at The Oval, take the next two spots. Smith has 885 while Head has 884 and fourth-ranked New Zealand’s Kane Williamson has 883 points. It is very rare to see three batsmen from the same team in the top three. The last time this happened in the Test rankings was in 1984 when West Indies’ Gordon Greenidge (810 points), Clive Lloyd (787 points) and Larry Gomes (773 points) finished in the top three.

 

Despite India’s 209-run defeat in the WTC final, Rahane managed to climb back to 37th position with the help of innings of 89 and 46. Shardul, who scored a half-century in the first innings, has gained six places. Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident, continues to lead the list among Indian batsmen at the 10th position. Veteran off-spinner Ashwin remains the top-ranked Test bowler. His fellow spinner Ravindra Jadeja is at the ninth position. Injured fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who last played the Test in July 2022, has lost two places to be in eighth position. Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey has also gained 11 places to reach 36th position. He played innings of 48 and 66 not out.