Putting up a sensational show with both the bat and ball, Ashwin regained his No. 1 spot among bowlers in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings released today.
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James Anderson took four wickets against Pakistan at Old Trafford – setting a new mark for the most successful pace bowler in home conditions, to beat a almost decade-old mark set by Glenn McGrath – but was beaten to top spot by a single ranking point.
Yasir was unable to continue his terrific form from the previous match at Lord’s as he took only one wicket in the first innings in the 54 overs he bowled while conceding 213 runs.
According to the ranking, Yasir Shah went on fifth position from first, whereas Indian R. Ashwin has grabbed first position who took seven wickets against West Indies.
Ashwin gained five ranking points for his effort in Antigua, while Anderson’s haul against higher-ranked opponents earned him seven points. This means the pre-Test gap between the two bowlers has been trimmed from three points to just one point only.
Other notable movers included Chris Woakes, who surged up ten places to No. 23 after his match figures of 7 for 108 at Old Trafford contributed to England’s 330-run win.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra may not have taken much wickets in the first Test but the leg-spinner says he played his role well by creating pressure on the West Indies batsmen from the one end. Cook’s first-innings century and second-innings 76 not out were enough to propel him four places up, to No. 9.
Virat Kohli, India’s Test captain, climbed two places to 12th among Test batsmen, thanks to his maiden double-century.
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Ashwin, only the third Indian to be top-ranked among all-rounders after Vinoo Mankad and Kapil Dev, has increased the gap with second-placed Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.
