Dubai: India’s batting sensation Cheteshwar Pujara and Test
spinner Pragyan Ojha played pivotal roles in India’s nine-wicket win
over England in Ahmedabad, and have now moved to career-best rankings in
the ICC’s latest update for Test players.
Pujara, 24, scored unbeaten innings of 206 and 41 to claim the
Man-of-the-Match award after the completion of the first Test on Monday
and has jumped 35 places to No. 24 on the ICC’s rankings for Test
batsmen. Left-arm spinner Ojha, 26, had a match haul of 0 for 165 and
broke into the top five of the ICC’s bowler rankings for the first time
in his Test career after moving up nine place.
Also making significant moves up the ladder was West Indies opener
Kieran Powell, whose twin centuries in Mirpur helped his team beat
Bangladesh by 77 runs in the first Test. Powell, who was Man of the
Match in the series opener, jumped 19 places to occupy 51st spot. Sri
Lanka’s left-arm spinner Rangana Herath achieved a career-best rating of
828 points in the bowler rankings to secure fourth spot. The 34-year
old took 11 for 108 as Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by ten wickets in
Galle on Monday. Bangladesh’s debutant offspinner Sohag Gazi has entered
the rankings at No. 51st after taking 9 for 219 against West Indies.
England captain Alastair Cook returned to the top ten batsmen list
after scoring an excellent 176 in his side’s second innings in
Ahmedabad, while his team-mate Matt Prior became the fifth England
player in the top 20 after achieving a career-best ranking of 18. An
unbeaten 203 against Bangladesh in Mirpur allowed Shivnarine Chanderpaul
gain 27 ratings points to put him one point behind Australian captain
Michael Clarke at No .4, who scored an unbeaten 257 against South Africa
in Brisbane last week. Virender Sehwag moved to 22nd position after
gaining one place following his 23rd Test century – his first in two
years.
In the Test allrounder list, Jacques Kallis regained the top spot
after Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan conceded 21 ratings points and
slipped to second place. Kallis’ South African team-mates Hashim Amla
and Vernon Philander will have the opportunity to top the batting and
bowling tables, respectively. Amla trails Kumar Sangakkara by just four
points while Philander is 19 behind team-mate Dale Steyn, who has been
at No. 1 since July 2009.
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