Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah became the first ever Indian quick to top the Test bowler’s chart in the latest ICC rankings. The previous highest ranking achieved by an Indian pacer was the No.2 spot — on the retrospective Test bowlers’ table – by Kapil Dev from December 1979 to February 1980.
Bumrah climbed three places to be ranked No. 1, and replaced his teammate R Ashwin in the position. Before this, his highest ranking had been No. 3. Apart from Bumrah, former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan has also occupied the No. 3 spot, in October-November 2010.
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The star quick’s recent rise in the Test bowlers’ ranking follows a match-winning haul of 9 for 91 in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, where he was named Player of the Match as India levelled the series 1-1. Bowling on a flat deck, Bumrah claimed a fabulous six-wicket haul in the first innings, when he picked up his 10th five-for in only his 34th Test, a match he finished as the fastest Indian to 150 Test wickets. He also came second in the list of the fastest to reach 150 Test wickets, after Pakistan great Waqar Younis (27 Tests).
In a brilliant display of two-way reverse-swing bowling, Bumrah put India on the driver’s seat by getting rid of the English middle order, comprising the likes of Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes to give India a handsome 143-run first-innings lead. The highlight of his six wickets was the toe-crushing yorker that cleaned up Pope, the hero of the Hyderabad Test.
Bumrah also had an impact in the second innings, where he picked up 3 for 46. With Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley threatening to keep England alive in their chase of 399, Bumrah had Foakes caught-and-bowled, foxing him with a slower offcutter. Bumrah is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series, with 15 strikes at 10.67. He picked up six wickets in the first Test in Hyderabad, which India lost by 28 runs.
Besides Bumrah, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was the other Indian to make big gains in the latest ICC Test rankings. Jaiswal raced up 37 places to No. 29 following a career-best knock of 209 in Visakhapatnam. His England counterpart Zak Crawley also had a good Test, scoring 76 and 73 to climb eight spots to No. 22.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson continues to occupy the top spot among Test batters, having cracked 118 and 109 in the first Test against South Africa in Mount Maunganui.
