Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile, moved past Virat Kohli to take the third spot
India’s Rishabh Pant and England’s Joe Root both made significant jumps in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, following their recent exploits in the Brisbane and Galle Tests, respectively.
Pant, the top-ranked wicketkeeper on the batting charts, climbed to a career high No.13 after his 89 not out at the Gabba sealed a famous series win for India. Root, meanwhile, returned to the top five with his highest ratings points tally of 738 in two years, as his first innings 228 against Sri Lanka was enough to push him up six places, overtaking the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Babar Azam.
Australia’s No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne also recorded a personal milestone, as his first-innings century in Brisbane took him past Virat Kohli to third spot, with a career-best 878 rating points. Despite a disappointing series as captain, Tim Paine moved up three places as well to 42nd following scores of 50 and 27 in the decisive fourth Test. Among the Australia bowlers, Josh Hazlewood made the most significant leap, overtaking New Zealand’s Tim Southee to bag fourth spot. Hazlewood claimed six wickets at the Gabba, including a haul of 5 for 57 in the first innings.
For India, who had several players chipping in with crucial contributions throughout the series, there were quite a few personal highs. Opener Shubman Gill moved up 21 places to 47th after making a crucial 91 in the second innings in Brisbane, while Pujara went up one spot to seventh following his dogged 56 off 211 deliveries.
Mohammed Siraj, who made his debut during the second Test in Melbourne, jumped up 32 spots to 45th in the bowlers rankings after he took a five-wicket haul at the Gabba. Shardul Thakur and debutant Washington Sundar, who provided one of the first turning points in the fourth Test against Aaustralia with their partnership of 123 in the first innings, were also rewarded with individual milestones. Sundar reached No.82 on the batting list, while Thakur, who claimed seven wickets during the Test, shot up to No.65 in the bowlers rankings.
The other significant movers on the list were England’s spinners Jack Leach (40th) and Dom Bess (50th), after they both claimed five-wicket hauls in Galle. Lahiru Thirimanne, Sri Lanka’s lone centurion in the Test, moved up 12 places to take the 87th spot on the batting list.