Jasprit Bumrah’s place as the best fast bowler in the world is confirmed following news that the India quick has claimed the No.1 spot on the latest ICC Men’s Test Bowler rankings.
Bumrah will claim the top spot for the first time on the back of his tremendous match figures of 9/91 during his side’s series-equalling 106-run victory over England in the second Test in Vizag.
This is also the first time a quick bowler from India will take the top spot in Test ranking.
The nine-wicket haul saw Bumrah earn Player of the Match honours in the second Test and climb three places on the latest Test rankings for bowlers to claim top spot from teammate Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin – who has held the premier ranking since March last year – managed just three wickets for India in that same match and drops two places to third on the updated rankings for Test bowlers, with South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada maintaining his place in second despite sitting out the Proteas’ Test series in New Zealand.
The 30-year-old has never been previously higher than the third spot despite a total of 10 five-wicket hauls for his country from 34 Test match appearances.
Two of those five-wicket hauls have come in Test matches in 2024 for Bumrah, with the India pacer collecting figures of 6/61 against South Africa in Cape Town at the start of the year and then an equally impressive spell of 6/45 in his most recent appearance against England.
Bumrah is just the fourth player from India to top the bowling charts, with Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bishan Bedi, to have done so previously.
More laurels for Indian cricket
Bumrah isn’t the only player from India to make an eye-catching jump up the latest ICC rankings. Teammate and opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal was also rewarded for his magnificent double century during the first innings of that Vizag Test.
Jaiswal helped set up the victory with a career-best 209 to start the match and the youngster climbed 37 places to 29th on the latest rankings for Test batters.
New Zealand veteran and former Test captain Kane Williamson is still leading the batting charts.
Australia’s Steve Smith re-claimed the second place on the batter rankings as England’s Joe Root dropped to third, while compatriot Zak Crawley improved eight spots to 22nd following two innings in the 70s against India.
Sri Lanka spinner Prabath Jayasuriya jumps three places to sixth on the Test bowling ranks following his eight-wicket match haul in the one-off Test against Afghanistan, while compatriot Asitha Fernando improves seven spots to 34th after six scalps from the same match.
England’s Ben Stokes (fourth) and India’s Axar Patel (fifth) jump one place on the list for Test all-rounders following the Vizag Test, while there is some movement within the latest ODI rankings following the completion of Australia’s home series against the West Indies.