Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah made history on February 7 by becoming the first Indian fast bowler to claim the top spot in the ICC Test rankings following his outstanding performance against England in Visakhapatnam. The 30-year-old’s remarkable nine-wicket haul in the match propelled him past competitors Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, and Ravichandran Ashwin, securing his position as the fourth Indian to attain the prestigious number one ranking.
Bumrah’s exceptional display not only earned him the Player of the Match award but also ended Ashwin’s 11-month reign at the top of the rankings. With 881 rating points, Bumrah now joins the elite club alongside Ashwin (904) and Ravindra Jadeja (899), who are the only other Indian bowlers to have accumulated more rating points. Ashwin and Jadeja had previously shared the top spot in March 2017.
In addition to Bumrah’s achievement, the latest rankings also saw significant movements in the batting rankings. Left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal climbed an impressive 37 places to 29th position, while Shubman Gill reached a career-best 38th position after his century in the second innings. England’s Zak Crawley also gained ground, ascending eight places to a career-best 22nd position after his noteworthy performances in the Visakhapatnam Test.
Among the emerging talents, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed rose 14 places to 70th position, and Tom Hartley, the second England player to achieve 50 runs and five wickets in each of his first two Tests, advanced in both batting and bowling rankings.
The latest rankings also reflect performances from the one-off Test between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in Colombo, where left-arm spinner Prabhath Jayasuriya’s stellar performance propelled him to a career-best sixth position.
In the ODI rankings, Australia’s Adam Zampa climbed one place to third, while Sean Abbott’s impressive six-wicket haul against the West Indies propelled him 35 places to joint-33rd position in the bowling rankings.
