Ashwin retains No 1 spot, Bumrah moves to 4th in ICC rankings

Dubai, Jan 31 (PTI) Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin maintained the top spot, while compatriot Jasprit Bumrah jumped to fourth in the latest ICC bowling rankings released on Wednesday.

Ashwin, who had grabbed a match haul of six wickets in India’s 28-run loss in the opening Test against England, is on 853 rating points, while pacer Bumrah, who also claimed half a dozen wickets, rose a rung to fourth.

The third Indian in the top 10 in the bowling charts is left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja at number six.

Jadeja also enjoys a healthy buffer at the head of the Test all-rounder rankings.

However, Joe Root, who has moved up to fourth place, might challenge him soon if the Englland veteran maintains his good show with the ball.

While Root is primarily known for his batting skills, the 33-year-old showcased his handy spin by taking five wickets in the Hyderabad Test. He even opened the bowling for England in the second innings.

This effort has seen Root rise to a new career-high rating on the list for Test all-rounders and seen the evergreen England star jump one place to fourth.

Root is behind Ashwin and Shakib-Al-Hasan while Axar Patel has dropped a spot to sixth.

Virat Kohli has moved to sixth and is the lone Indian among the top 10 batters while Ollie Pope, who stunned India with a magnificent 196 in the second innings, jumped a mammoth 20 places to 15th.

Pope’s England teammate Ben Duckett also improved his ranking, gaining five places to 22nd after knocks of 35 and 47 against India.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja gained two places to eighth following a half-century in the opening innings of the second Test against the West Indies at the Gabba.

After their impressive performance against Australia, three West Indies quicks also improved their rankings.

Kemar Roach moved up two places to 17th, Alzarri Joseph climbed four spots to 33rd, and Shamar Joseph, who was the Player-of-the-Match at the Gabba, rose a significant 42 places to reach the 50th position in the rankings.