ICC Test Rankings: Rishabh Pant creates history, become first Indian wicket-keeper to enter Top 10 club

New Delhi: Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has moved up three spots to 6th in the latest MRF ICC Test Player Rankings for Batting and became the first Indian wicket-keeper to enter into the top 10 club.

This is the first time in India’s cricket history that a wicket-keeper batsman has made it to the list of top 10 batsmen in ICC Test rankings. In the latest Test rankings released by the ICC, Rishabh Pant is at the sixth position just under Skipper Virat Kohli in the Test batsman rankings with 747 points.

In the rankings which got updated on Wednesday, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne on Wednesday closed in on a top-10 spot after a successful second Test against Bangladesh in Kandy which his side won by 209 runs to clinch the two-match series 1-0. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is currently at the top of the rankings.

Karunaratne struck 118 and 66 in the second Test, moving up four slots to 11th position in the list led by Williamson. Karunaratne’s career-best ranking is sixth, attained in August 2019. He is the top-ranked Test batsman from Sri Lanka with Angelo Mathews next in the list in 24th position.

Niroshan Dickwella (up to four places to 31st), Oshada Fernando (up to 10 places to 58th) and Lahiru Thirimanne (up to 13 places to 60th) are the other Sri Lanka batsmen to advance while left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama’s player of the match haul of 11 for 178, the best figures by a Sri Lankan on Test debut, sees him enter the rankings in 48th position.

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal’s knocks of 92 and 24 have helped him gain three places to reach 27th position while Mushfiqur Rahim and captain Mominul Haque have inched up a slot each to reach 21st and 30th positions, respectively, in the latest rankings.

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali’s haul of nine for 89 in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare not only won him the player of the match award for starring in the innings victory but also enabled him to gain 15 slots and reach a career-best 20th position among bowlers.

Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (up to wo places to 31st) and left-arm spinner Nauman Ali (up to 12 places to 54th) have also advanced in the list for bowlers while left-handed batsman Fawad Alam continues his fine run, moving up 31 places to a career-best 47th position after scoring 140, his fourth century in 10 Test matches. Abid Ali is up six places to 78th position.

For Zimbabwe, Regis Chakabva has gained two slots to reach 97th position while fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has progressed 26 slots to reach 55th position with figures of four for 73. (ANI)