<p>Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara jumped a couple of rungs to second, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the fifth spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, issued here today.</p>

<p>Pujara trails Australian captain Steve Smith, who has extended his lead at the top but the next four batsmen are separated by just 11 points in the latest rankings, the ICC said in a statement.</p>

<p>Pujara has returned to number-two ranking after scoring 143 in his side&#39;s huge victory by an innings and 239 runs against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.</p>

<p>He had first peaked to second following the Ranchi Test against Australia in March, while the last time he was second was following his 133 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August.</p>

<p>Pujara has been rewarded with 22 points, lifting him from fourth to second on a career-high 888 points.</p>

<p>The 29-year-old now leads his fifth-ranked captain Kohli by 11 points. Kohli has vaulted from 817 points to 877 points after scoring his fifth career double-century in 62 Tests.</p>

<p>Smith, on the other hand, stroked an unbeaten 141, his 21st century in his 57th Test, which was the cornerstone of Australia&#39;s 10-wicket victory over England in the first Ashes Test.</p>

<p>For his performance, Smith has gained five points to rise to 941 points, making him joint-fifth in terms of the highest points tally in batting history in Tests behind Sir Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs (942) and Ricky Ponting (942), and at par with Peter May (941).</p>

<p>England captain Joe Root is sitting third and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is occupying the fourth spot, while sixth-ranked David Warner of Australia is another 51 points behind Kohli.</p>

<p>India opener Murali Vijay and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, who were the other centurions in the just-concluded Test, have also made impressive gains. Vijay has risen eight places to 28th position, while Rohit has shot up seven places to 46th spot.</p>

<p>Some of the leading batsmen heading in the wrong direction include KL Rahul (ninth, down by one), Ajinkya Rahane (15th, down by two), Dimuth Karunaratne (18th, down by one), and Shikhar Dhawan (29th, down by one).</p>

<p>In the bowlers&#39; rankings, Ravindra Jadeja has reclaimed the second position following his match figures of five for 84, while Mitchell Starc has returned to the top 10 in 10th position after his match figures of six for 128 helped him to gain three places.</p>

<p>Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the fastest man to 300 wickets in Tests, has consolidated his fourth position by gaining nine points, which helped him to be on 849 points.</p>

<p>The India off-spinner is now 42 points behind number-one ranked James Anderson, who has dropped five points after claiming two wickets in the Brisbane Test.</p>

<p>Other bowlers to improve their rankings include Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma, who have moved up one place each to 28th and 30th respectively.</p>

<p>In the all-rounders&#39; rankings, Ashwin has returned to third place in the list which is headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.&nbsp;</p>


Australia captain Steve Smith was at the no. 1 spot

Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara jumped a couple of rungs to second, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the fifth spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, issued here today. Pujara trails Australian captain Steve Smith, who has extended his lead at the top but the next four batsmen are separated by just 11 points in the latest rankings, the ICC said in a statement. Pujara has returned to number-two ranking after scoring 143 in his side's huge victory by an innings and 239 runs against Sri Lanka in Nagpur. He had first peaked to second following the Ranchi Test against Australia in March, while the last time he was second was following his 133 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in August. Pujara has been rewarded with 22 points, lifting him from fourth to second on a career-high 888 points. The 29-year-old now leads his fifth-ranked captain Kohli by 11 points. Kohli has vaulted from 817 points to 877 points after scoring his fifth career double-century in 62 Tests. Smith, on the other hand, stroked an unbeaten 141, his 21st century in his 57th Test, which was the cornerstone of Australia's 10-wicket victory over England in the first Ashes Test. For his performance, Smith has gained five points to rise to 941 points, making him joint-fifth in terms of the highest points tally in batting history in Tests behind Sir Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs (942) and Ricky Ponting (942), and at par with Peter May (941). England captain Joe Root is sitting third and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is occupying the fourth spot, while sixth-ranked David Warner of Australia is another 51 points behind Kohli. India opener Murali Vijay and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, who were the other centurions in the just-concluded Test, have also made impressive gains. Vijay has risen eight places to 28th position, while Rohit has shot up seven places to 46th spot. Some of the leading batsmen heading in the wrong direction include KL Rahul (ninth, down by one), Ajinkya Rahane (15th, down by two), Dimuth Karunaratne (18th, down by one), and Shikhar Dhawan (29th, down by one). In the bowlers' rankings, Ravindra Jadeja has reclaimed the second position following his match figures of five for 84, while Mitchell Starc has returned to the top 10 in 10th position after his match figures of six for 128 helped him to gain three places. Ravichandran Ashwin, who became the fastest man to 300 wickets in Tests, has consolidated his fourth position by gaining nine points, which helped him to be on 849 points. The India off-spinner is now 42 points behind number-one ranked James Anderson, who has dropped five points after claiming two wickets in the Brisbane Test. Other bowlers to improve their rankings include Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma, who have moved up one place each to 28th and 30th respectively. In the all-rounders' rankings, Ashwin has returned to third place in the list which is headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.

ICC Test rankings: Pujara climbs to 2nd spot, Kohli stays at 5th

<p>India&#39;s Ravindra Jadeja pipped spin twin Ravichandran Ashwin to grab the pole position in the latest ranking for ICC Test bowlers while Cheteshwar Pujara reached a career-high second rank among batsmen.</p>

<p>Left-arm spinner Jadeja whizzed past Ashwin after snaring nine wickets in the drawn third Test against Australia, which left the four-match series interestingly poised at 1-1.</p>

<p>Jadeja, who grabbed five for 124 and four for 52 in Ranchi, has gained seven points after starting joint-first with Ashwin at 892 points. The left-arm spinner has become only the third Indian player after Ashwin and Bishan Singh Bedi to top the bowling charts on his own.</p>

<p>Pujara too has reason to celebrate as his knock of 202 has helped him gain four slots to reach a career-best second ranking with 861 points.</p>

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<p>The Saurashtra batsman has replaced New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who is now in fifth place, also slipping behind Joe Root and Virat Kohli, who remained static at fourth position. Top-ranked Australian captain Steve Smith has reached a career-high rating of 941 points after scores of 178 not out and 21.</p>

<p>While Jadeja has closed in on a major landmark as his tally of 899 rating points has put him on the brink of becoming only the second Indian bowler after Ashwin to touch the 900-point mark, Ashwin, who had a highest rating of 904 points, has slipped 37 points behind Jadeja to 862 points after finishing with just two wickets in Ranchi.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the race for the second spot in the ICC Test team rankings has become interesting as Australia and South Africa compete ahead of the cut-off date of April 1, on which India is assured of finishing first and getting a cash award of USD 1 million.</p>

<p>Australia will finish second and get a cash award of USD 500,000 with at least a draw in the last Test in Dharamsala while South Africa can finish second if Australia loses with South Africa either winning or drawing the last match against New Zealand in Hamilton.</p>

<p>The third-placed team on April 1 will receive USD 200,000 while the fourth-placed team, which will be England, will get USD 100,000.</p>

<p>(PTI)&nbsp;</p>


R Ashwin, according to the latest ICC rankings, is the No. 2 Test bowler

India's Ravindra Jadeja pipped spin twin Ravichandran Ashwin to grab the pole position in the latest ranking for ICC Test bowlers while Cheteshwar Pujara reached a career-high second rank among batsmen. Left-arm spinner Jadeja whizzed past Ashwin after snaring nine wickets in the drawn third Test against Australia, which left the four-match series interestingly poised at 1-1. Jadeja, who grabbed five for 124 and four for 52 in Ranchi, has gained seven points after starting joint-first with Ashwin at 892 points. The left-arm spinner has become only the third Indian player after Ashwin and Bishan Singh Bedi to top the bowling charts on his own. Pujara too has reason to celebrate as his knock of 202 has helped him gain four slots to reach a career-best second ranking with 861 points. Left-arm spinner Jadeja whizzed past Ashwin after snaring nine wickets in the drawn third Test against Australia, which left the four-match series interestingly poised at 1-1 × The Saurashtra batsman has replaced New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who is now in fifth place, also slipping behind Joe Root and Virat Kohli, who remained static at fourth position. Top-ranked Australian captain Steve Smith has reached a career-high rating of 941 points after scores of 178 not out and 21. While Jadeja has closed in on a major landmark as his tally of 899 rating points has put him on the brink of becoming only the second Indian bowler after Ashwin to touch the 900-point mark, Ashwin, who had a highest rating of 904 points, has slipped 37 points behind Jadeja to 862 points after finishing with just two wickets in Ranchi. Meanwhile, the race for the second spot in the ICC Test team rankings has become interesting as Australia and South Africa compete ahead of the cut-off date of April 1, on which India is assured of finishing first and getting a cash award of USD 1 million. Australia will finish second and get a cash award of USD 500,000 with at least a draw in the last Test in Dharamsala while South Africa can finish second if Australia loses with South Africa either winning or drawing the last match against New Zealand in Hamilton. The third-placed team on April 1 will receive USD 200,000 while the fourth-placed team, which will be England, will get USD 100,000. (PTI)

Jadeja is world's best Test bowler, Pujara second-best batsman

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ICC Test rankings: Pujara climbs to 2nd spot, Kohli stays at 5th

Jadeja is world's best Test bowler, Pujara second-best batsman