Suspended Jadeja loses top allrounder ranking to Shakib
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Ravindra Jadeja, who became the top-ranked allrounder in Test cricket after his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka in the second Test, has lost the slot to Shakib Al Hasan after he missed the final Test at Pallekele owing to a one-match suspension after accumulating six demerit points within a 24-month period.
Jadeja, who now has 430 points, is one point behind Shakib. However, he remains at the top of the bowling rankings in the latest International Cricket Council rankings announced on Tuesday (August 15), reports the Wisden India.
Meanwhile, both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul attained career-best positions in the batting rankings, having ended the series with rich returns. In the last Test, the duo laid the base with a 188-run stand and India eventually beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 171 runs to complete a 3-0 whitewash.
Dhawan, who top-scored with 119 in Pallekele, has moved up 10 places to 28th position. The left-hander, who came into the side because of an injury to M Vijay, had also scored 190 in the opening Test.
Rahul made it a tour to remember for Indian openers, climbing back into the Top 10 after having missed the first Test due to a viral infection. That didn’t affect him however, and he made fifties in the second and third matches to end the series having accumulated seven consecutive fifty-plus scores. Rahul gained two places to climb back to his career-best ninth position, but his tally of 761 points is the highest he has achieved so far.
Hardik Pandya, who scored a 96-ball 108 en route his maiden Test hundred, jumped 45 positions to reach a career-best 68th rank among batsmen, while Mohammad Shami (19) and Umesh Yadav (21) have gained a place each among bowlers.
Kuldeep Yadav, who replaced Jadeja in the team, has moved up 29 slots to 58th place after picking up a second four-wicket haul in as many Tests. Lakshan Sandakan, the other chinaman bowler in the match, also made a move upwards, jumping 16 places to be 57th after batting 5 for 132 in India’s innings.
Sandakan was among the very few Sri Lankans who made an upward movement. Dinesh Chandimal, the captain, and Niroshan Dickwella, the wicketkeeper, rose to 33rd and 61st respectively.
India’s winning 3-0 margin also widened the gap between them and the second-ranked South Africans. India now have 125 points, up by two, to South Africa’s 110. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, continue to stay at the seventh position.
England, who are currently ranked third, will host a three-Test series against Windies, which starts on Thursday with a day-night Test at Edgbaston. They may have to win the series to maintain their position, depending on the results of a two-Test series between Bangladesh and Australia that starts later this month. Australia, who are currently at fourth slot with 100 points, will gain one point if they win the series 2-0.