NEW DELHI, july 2
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has reached a new career-high rating in the latest ICC Men’s Test Batter Rankings, following his outstanding performance in the opening Test against England, where he scored centuries in both innings.
The 27-year-old impressed with knocks of 134 and 118, even as India succumbed to a five-wicket defeat. His efforts saw him climb one spot to sixth in the latest rankings, with a personal-best rating of 801 points. This marks his highest rating to date and puts him just 88 points behind the current No.1, Joe Root.
Pant is now one place away from equaling his career-best ranking of fifth, which he briefly held in 2022.
Meanwhile, Root maintained his top spot after scoring 28 and an unbeaten 53 in England’s successful chase at Headingley. He leads the charts by a margin of 15 rating points over teammate Harry Brook, who remains in second place following a solid outing in the series opener.
England opener Ben Duckett also attained a career-high rating in eighth place following his match-winning innings of 149 in the second innings of the Leeds Test. Duckett’s fiery knock ensured England chased down their daunting 371-run target with authority and sealed a crucial victory. Australia’s Travis Head gained three places to break into the top 10 at 10th overall after a pair of half-centuries helped his side win the first Test against the West Indies by 159 runs in Barbados.
Elsewhere, Sri Lanka’s emphatic innings and 78-run win over Bangladesh in the second Test in Colombo saw their batters make notable moves. Opener Pathum Nissanka galloped 14 places to 17th after scoring 159 in the match, which helped the hosts pocket the WTC series 1-0.
Meanwhile, South African debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius has entered the rankings in 68th position after the left-hander struck 153 runs in the Proteas’ 328-run victory against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
On the bowling front, India’s Jasprit Bumrah retained the top spot after another masterful display that included a five-wicket haul at Headingley. Australia’s Josh Hazlewood rose a spot to fourth after finishing with seven wickets in Bridgetown, including a five-for in the second innings. West Indies pacer Jayden Seales rose to ninth.
Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Prabhath Jayasuriya and Taijul Islam of Bangladesh have also moved up after five-wicket hauls in the Colombo Test. Jayasuriya has gone up one slot to joint-14th position, and Taijul is up two places to 16th.
