Pant overtakes Kohli in ICC Test batting rankings; Ravindra enters top 20

New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has overtaken his team-mate Virat Kohli in the ICC Test batting rankings, while New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra enters top 20 list in the same category.

Pant made scores of 20 and 99 in the first Test against New Zealand at Bengaluru, and that has propelled him to jump three places to sixth place in the latest update to rankings for Test batters, and go past Kohli, who is now at joint eighth position.

England batter Joe Root maintains a healthy lead at the top of the rankings, with trio Yashasvi Jaiswal – at third spot – joining Pant and Kohli as the only players from India inside the top 10 of the list.

From a New Zealand perspective, Ravindra has moved up 36 places to 18th place, following scores of 134 and 39 not out as the visitors’ got their first Test win in India since 1988. Opener Devon Conway has jumped 12 spots to 36th place.

Pacer Matt Henry, who picked up eight wickets, is up by two places to ninth position with a new career-high rating of 751. His fast-bowling teammate William O'Rourke is up two spots to 39th place due to his seven scalps from the same match.

Ahead of the England-Pakistan series decider at Rawalpindi, opener Ben Duckett finds himself on the verge of breaking inside the top 10 after moving up three places to equal 11th on the Test batters rankings with a knock of 114.

Pakistan all-rounder Salman Ali Agha gains eight places to move to 14th with a new career-high rating following scores of 31 and 63 from the second game, which the visitors’ won to end a drought of Test wins at home.

Salman has made it past 50 in three of his last four Test innings and he is now the highest rated Test batter from Pakistan after going past teammates Babar Azam (equal 19th), Mohammad Rizwan (21st) and Saud Shakeel (27th).

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali is back in Test bowlers’ rankings at 17th place following his 11 wickets across two innings against England at Multan, while teammate Sajid Khan gains 22 places to move to 50th position after he was adjudged Player of the Match in the same game.