Ajinkya Rahane achieved career best ICC ranking

12 October, Dubai (CRICKETNMORE): In the  ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen led by Australia captain Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane has attained a career-best sixth-rank with scores of 188 and 23 not out. Rahane, whose previous best was eighth rank in August this year, has gained five slots after starting the match at 11th position.

The Indore Test also saw Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Virat Kohli move up the rankings. Pujara’s knocks of 41 and 101 not out have helped him move up one place to 14th rank while Kohli’s scores of 211 and 17 at Indore have helped him move up four places to 16th position.

For New Zealand, opener Martin Guptill has moved up 10 places to 58th rank with knocks of 72 and 29 while Jimmy Neesham has moved up 12 slots to 70th position.

Fourth-ranked Younus Khan, who is just two points behind South Africa batsman Hashim Amla’s tally of 847 points, will miss the opening Test because of illness but 11th-ranked Misbah has a chance to overtake England batsman Alastair Cook, whom he trails by just six points.

Asad Shafiq (13th), Azhar Ali (17th) and Sarfraz Ahmed (19th) would also be looking to move towards the top 10 by dominating a side they blanked 3-0 in both an ODI series as well as a Twenty20 series that preceded the Tests.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who is just five wickets away from 100 wickets and a permanent ranking, is Pakistan’s leading bowler at sixth position while pace bowler Wahab Riaz is ranked 29th.

For West Indies, Darren Bravo (28th), Kraigg Brathwaite (31st) and Marlon Samuels (46th) are the leading batsmen while pace bowler Kemar Roach (23rd), leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (41st) and Shannon Gabriel (48th) are in the top-50.

 ICC Test Player Rankings (as on 12 October after the India-New Zealand series)

Batsmen (top 10)

 Rank     (+/-)       Player                Team      Pts        Avge      Highest Rating

   1         ( - )        Steve Smith         Aus        906       58.55     936 v Eng at Lord's 2015

   2         ( - )        Joe Root              Eng        878       54.86     917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015

   3         (+1)       Hashim Amla       SA         847       51.16     907 v Pak at Abu Dhabi 2013

   4         (+1)       Younus Khan       Pak        845       53.72     880 v SL at Lahore 2009

   5         (-2)        Kane Williamson  NZ         841       50.31     893 v Aus at Perth 2015

   6         (+5)       Ajinkya Rahane   Ind         825!      51.37     825 v NZ at Indore 2016

   7=       (-1)        Adam Voges        Aus        802*     72.75      824 v SL at Galle 2016

   8              (-1)        AB de Villiers     SA         802       50.46     935 v Aus at Port Elizabeth 2014
 

9         (-1)        David Warner      Aus        772       48.63     880 v NZ at Perth 2015

  10        (-1)        Alastair Cook      Eng        770       47.31     874 v Ind at Kolkata 2012