Rishabh Pant achieves another high as India wicketkeeper

Rishabh Pant has jumped as many as 21 places to be 17th, the joint-highest by a specialist India wicketkeeper in ICC Test Rankings.

Rishabh Pant after reaching his century in the fourth and final Test in Sydney.

Cheteshwar Pujara has gained a spot to be third in the latest ICC batsmen rankings, following his stupendous performance in India’s maiden Test series win in Australia.

Rishabh Pant has jumped as many as 21 places to be 17th, the joint-highest by a specialist India wicketkeeper along with Farokh Engineer, who did so in January 1973. M.S. Dhoni’s highest Test ranking was 19th.

India captain Virat Kohli has maintained his number one position in the batsmen rankings.

Pant, a star at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in 2016 after he scored an 18-ball half-century against Nepal, has moved into the top-20 only after his ninth Test. Pant started the Test series in Australia placed 59th but made rapid progress, scoring 350 runs, which included a hundred and also saw him take 20 catches.

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Pujara, who scored 521 runs to help beat Australia 2-1, is another batsman to gain in the latest rankings, which also takes into account performances in the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town.

Pujara has gained one slot to reach third position while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (up six places to 57th) and rookie opener Mayank Agarwal (up five places to 62nd) are the others to benefit at the end of a historic series win.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav has gained seven places to reach a career-best 45th position after his figures of five for 99 in Australia’s first innings. While, Jasprit Bumrah held on to the 16th position and Mohammed Shami gained one place to take the 22nd place.

Meanwhile, Jadeja has gained one place to reach fifth among bowlers and has also leapfrogged Windies captain Jason Holder into second place among all-rounders.

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South Africa’s Aiden Markram has moved back into the top 10 after his knock of 78 at Cape Town, gaining seven slots to reach 10th position. Temba Bavuma has moved into the top 30 for the first time (up five places to 26th) after his score of 75 while captain Faf du Plessis’s first-innings century has lifted him six places to 16th position.

Among their bowlers, Vernon Philander has gained a place to reach third position while Duanne Olivier has continued his surge to move up to 32nd place from 36th.

There has been no change in position or points for leaders India in the team rankings, while Australia remained at fifth despite losing one point.