India’s iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar and fast bowler Zaheer Khan have returned to the top 10 of the ICC Test player rankings after the Test series against Bangladesh ended in Mirpur on Wednesday.
Tendulkar, who started the second Test in 13th position, has jumped four places to ninth position after hitting his 45th career century. Tendulkar scored a well-constructed 143 to set the platform for a 10-wicket victory for India.
Tendulkar had entered the series in 14th spot but has gained six places as he also scored 105 not out and 16 in the first Test in Chittagong. This is the first time since December 2005 that Tendulkar has returned to the top 10 while the last time he headed the batting table was in August 2002 after the Leeds Test against England.
Besides Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid has also moved up the order, jumping four places to occupy 15th position.
However, VVS Laxman has lost ground and has dropped four places to 19th spot after missing out on the second Test due to injury. A player loses one percent of his rating for every Test he misses.
While top-ranked Gautam Gambhir has extended his advantage over South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Virender Sehwag has consolidated his sixth position, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal is the other batsman to make an upward movement in the latest rankings that were released this week.
Tamim scored nought and 151 in Mirpur and has vaulted 13 places to share 42nd spot with New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Zaheer Khan has become India’s highest-ranked bowler in sixth position. Zaheer has jumped five places after recording his maiden 10-wicket haul in the match. Zaheer finished with figures of 149/10 to win the man-of-the-match award.
Zaheer’s teammate Harbhajan Singh, however, has slipped two places to eighth position after managing just two wickets.
In the rankings for Test all-rounders, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan has slipped one place to fifth.
Meanwhile, India has earned one ratings point for its 2-0 win over Bangladesh which puts it on 125 ratings points. Mahendra Singh’s Dhoni’s side now leads second-ranked South Africa by five ratings points.
This sets up an enthralling two-Test series between the two top-ranked teams, starting in Nagpur from February 6 with India trying to defend its position at the top of the table while South Africa aiming to regain the spot it conceded in December.
To regain the top spot, South Africa needs to win the series by 1-0 or better. However, the Proteas will slip behind Australia in third position if India wins both the Tests. — Sapa