Following Steven Smith’s recent dip in form, Joe Root has ascended to the No. 2 spot in the ICC’s Test batting rankings, trailing only Kane Williamson. Smith’s struggles, including scores of 31 and 0 in the first Test against New Zealand, caused him to slip below 800 points for the first time since 2014. Meanwhile, Root’s return to form, marked by a century against India in Ranchi, has solidified his position in the rankings.
Marnus Labuschagne, another former top-ranked batter, has dropped out of the top ten for the first time since December 2019 after a poor showing in the same match. Additionally, Travis Head’s decline in form, with scores of 1 and 29, has seen him slip to No. 12 in the rankings. Conversely, three Indian batters, including Yashaswi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, have seen rises in their rankings.
In the bowling department, Nathan Lyon’s impressive performance against New Zealand has propelled him to No. 6 in the rankings, while Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry have also made significant gains. Ireland’s maiden Test victory against Afghanistan has also impacted the rankings, with several Irish players moving up in both the batting and bowling charts.
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