Dubai
South African bowler Kagiso Rabada has risen to the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings released on Wednesday, knocking Indian star Jasprit Bumrah down to third place. Rabada achieved this milestone after taking his 300th Test wicket in a recent seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh during the World Test Championship.
Bumrah’s drop comes after he did not take any wickets in the second Test against New Zealand, allowing Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood to move into second place. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also fallen to fourth. Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, rounds out the top five bowlers.
In other notable changes, Pakistan’s Noman Ali joined the top 10 following impressive performances against England, while New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner climbed 30 spots to 44th after taking 13 wickets in a recent match.
Among batters, young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal moved up to third place with scores of 30 and 77 against New Zealand, maintaining his status as the top Indian batter. However, fellow players Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli have both dropped in the rankings, with Pant falling to 11th and Kohli to 14th.
Other players making significant gains include New Zealand’s Devon Conway, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips, as well as South Africa’s Kyle Verreynne. In the all-rounders’ category, India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin continue to hold the top two spots, with Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan moving up to third.
