ICC Rankings: India opener KL Rahul has been in phenomenal touch since his return to the Test side last year on the England tour, fixing his place as the opener and in the leadership group as well.
KL Rahul scored a century and a fifty on the England tour which contained 4 matches; on the ongoing South Africa tour, he has already recorded a hundred and a half-century in 2 Tests.
Rahul’s scores of 123 and 23 in the first Test, which India won by 113 runs in Centurion, saw him make huge gains in the latest ICC Test rankings. The right-hander jumped up 18 slots to take the 31st position among batters following his Man of the Match effort at the Supersport Park.
KL Rahul was involved in a 117-run opening stand with Mayank Agarwal on Day 1. Agarwal also moved up one place to the 11th position for his score of 60 in the first innings.
India captain Virat Kohli, however, dropped down a couple of places in the ICC rankings, from 7th to 9th, after he managed scores of 35 and 18.
Pacer Mohammed Shami, who took a five-wicket haul in South Africa’s first innings and a three-wicket haul in the second, moved up two places to the 17th rankings among bowlers. India’s spearhead fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, after claiming five wickets in the match, gained three spots to enter the top 10, now sits at the 9th position.
Among the South Africans, pacer Lungi Ngidi, who bagged a 6-fer in the first innings and followed up with 2 more wickets in the second, usurped 16 spots and now is placed at the 30th.
While Kagiso Rabada, who snapped up 7 wickets in the Centurion Test, went one slot up to 6th, debutant Marco Jansen entered the rankings at the 97th position, after he impressed with a four-wicket haul in India’s second innings.
Also, the Proteas skipper, Dean Elgar, ascended a couple of spots for his 77 in the second innings, going up to number 14.
Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne and Australia skipper Pat Cummins continue to lead the batting and bowling ICC Test rankings respectively.
