Dubai: Rishabh Pant on Wednesday overtook his superstar India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.
Fresh from a counter-attacking 99 in the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand, Pant gained three spots in the rankings while Kohli, who made a fluent 70 in Bengaluru, dropped a place to be eighth.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains India’s highest ranked batter at four. India captain Rohit Sharma dropped two places to be joint 15th alongside Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne.
Pant’s rise comes with England’s Joe Root solidifying his lead at the top. Root, consistently delivering at the highest level, continues to hold a healthy lead over his peers, even as India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal climbed to fourth in the rankings. Jaiswal, Pant, and Kohli remain the only Indian players in the top 10, underscoring India’s strong representation despite the shifts within their ranks.
England’s Ben Duckett is also making waves, moving up three places to equal 11th after his century (114) against Pakistan, signaling his intent to break into the top 10.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Salman Agha has been one of the standout performers of the week. His scores of 31 and 63 saw him climb eight spots to 14th with a career-high rating. Salman, who has crossed 50 in three of his last four Test innings, now ranks as Pakistan’s highest-rated Test batter, surpassing prominent names like Babar Azam (19th), Mohammad Rizwan (21st), and Saud Shakeel (27th).
New Zealand’s players also made considerable progress. Rachin Ravindra surged up 36 places to 18th, while Devon Conway rose 12 spots to 36th following New Zealand’s triumph over India. In the bowling department, Matt Henry was a big mover, rising two places to a career-high ninth after an eight-wicket haul in the Black Caps’ eight-wicket victory over India.
Pakistan’s bowlers also saw significant gains, with spinner Noman Ali rising to 17th following his 11-wicket match against England. Teammate Sajid Khan leapt 22 places to 50th after his Player of the Match performance in the same contest.
