ICC Test Rankings | Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara stay rooted as Ajinkya Rahane inches up

The recent ICC Test rankings saw Indian captain Virat Kohli hold on to the top spot with Australia batsman Steven Smith close to his heels while Cheteshwar Pujara held on to the sixth spot. The latest rankings update includes the Port Elizabeth Test, which England won by an innings and 53 runs to go 2-1 ahead in the four-Test series against South Africa and the Harare Test between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe which was clinched by 10 wickets by the visitors.

English all-rounder Ben Stokes equalled his all-time best all-rounder rankings as he hops to the second spot while ranking 10th among batsmen and 29th among bowlers. Off-spinner Dominic Bess’ five-wicket haul in the first innings has lifted him 49 places to 62nd, while Sam Curran, Jack Leach and Stuart Broad have gained one slot each amongst the bowlers.

Veteran Sri Lankan all rounder Angelo Mathews’ unbeaten double ton, which helped Sri Lanka flatten Zimbabwe, propelled him to 16th spot. The former Sri Lanka captain’s best ranking was third, achieved in August 2014, while he has also been among the top 10 among batsmen in ODIs.

Team India’s next assignment in Test cricket is against New Zealand where both the teams will contest in two matches beginning February 21.