Ravi Ashwin replaces James Anderson to take No. 1 spot in ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings

Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI)

James Anderson’s stay as the No. 1 ranked Test bowler comes to an end as he is leapfrogged by veteran Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin. Anderson dropped to second place after England’s stunning loss to New Zealand in their second Test of the series.

The Black Caps won the second match by one run and tied the series, which was a major factor in Anderson dropping to second place in the rankings. However, Ravichandran Ashwin rose in the ranks after his sensational performance in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Pat Cummins dropped to third place after Ashwin claimed the top spot.

Ashwin took six wickets during India’s victory in the second Test against Australia, which was a driving factor in his rise to the top spot among Test bowlers. The 36-year-old reached the summit for the first time back in 2015 and has been ranked No. 1 quite a few times since then.

Team India will look to depend on Ashwin and Jadeja to mount the pressure on Australia

Following the collapse of Team India’s batting attack in the ongoing third Test, they will look to rely on the services of Ashwin and Jadeja to take wickets for them once again. The hosts were bundled out for a mere 109 runs after the Australian spinners proved to be too much to handle for India.

Getting off to a good start, India sent opener Travis Head back to the pavilion as Ravindra Jadeja struck early. Since then, the top-order batters made it very hard for India. Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja took the lead early on and managed to pile up the runs to cover the gap.

It is integral that Ashwin and Jadeja repeat their performances from the first two Tests of the series, and it could be interesting to see how the Rohit Sharma-led side fares under pressure.