The Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and Kiwi cricketer Daryl Mitchell have surged back into the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings following standout performances in their respective ICC World Test Championship series finales. Pant, India’s dynamic wicketkeeper-batter, moved up five spots to claim the sixth position, thanks to his scores of 60 and a resilient 64 during India’s tense chase of 147 runs. He is now just one position away from his career-best fifth rank, a position he last achieved in July 2022.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell also made a significant leap, advancing eight places to secure the seventh spot. This improvement comes after his consistent contributions of 82 and 21 in a tough series finale, building on his already strong form since September, where he ranked third.
India’s young opener Shubman Gill also gained ground, moving up to 16th following his impressive 90-run knock in the first innings.
However, the latest rankings update brought mixed results for Indian players. Yashaswi Jaiswal slipped to fourth place, and former captain Virat Kohli dropped out of the top 20 Test batters for the first time since December 2014, concluding a remarkable near-decade run among the top ranks. Kohli now holds the 22nd position, down by eight places.
Let’s hope he plays well in BGT 2024-25.