ICC Test Ranking: Jasprit Bumrah becomes first India pacer to be ranked No.1 Test Bowler

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Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has climbed to the top of the latest ICC Men's Test Bowler Rankings following his exploits against England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

With his match-winning effort against England, Bumrah's place as the best fast bowler in the world is confirmed as he became the first quick from India to sit at the pinnacle of the Test Bowlers' Rankings.

The right-arm pacer from Gujarat has risen to the top for the first time on the back of his tremendous match figures of 9/91 during his side's series-equalling 106-run victory in the Vizag Test.

In the second Test, Bumrah's outstanding performance, where he secured a nine-wicket haul, also earned him the Player of the Match award. Consequently, he surpassed his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin to claim the top spot.

Ashwin, who had been the top-ranked bowler since March the previous year, could only manage three wickets in the same match, causing him to drop to third place in the updated rankings. Despite sitting out the series against New Zealand, Kagiso Rabada of South Africa maintained his second position.

This achievement marks Bumrah's first time holding the top spot, despite previously reaching no higher than third. His ascent to the top makes him only the fourth Indian player to achieve this feat.

With ten five-wicket hauls in 34 Test appearances for India, Bumrah has consistently demonstrated his prowess. Notably, he added two more five-wicket hauls in 2024, against South Africa and England, further solidifying his status as a premier fast bowler.

Bumrah's stellar performance isn't the only highlight for India in the latest ICC rankings, as teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal also made a significant leap. Jaiswal's remarkable double century in the Vizag Test against England propelled him 37 places up the Test batter rankings. The left-handed opener is now ranked 29th in ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Australia's Steve Smith reclaimed second place, while Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya and Asitha Fernando saw improvements in their Test bowling rankings. Additionally, Ben Stokes and Axar Patel of England and India respectively climbed in the all-rounder rankings following the Vizag Test.

England's Joe Root - who failed to leave a mark in both the innings of the Vizag Test - dropped to third, while compatriot Zak Crawley improved eight spots to 22nd following two innings in the 70s against India.

The ODI rankings also witnessed shifts, with spinner Adam Zampa rising to third place in the bowling rankings, and Sean Abbott making a substantial leap to equal 33rd. Zampa is behind fellow tweaker Keshav Maharaj (1st) and Josh Hazlewood (2nd) on the latest ODI bowling rankings.

Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam maintained his position as the top-ranked batter. He continues to be ahead of Indian trio Shubman Gill (second), Virat Kohli (third) and Rohit Sharma (fourth) in the latest ODI Rankings. While Abbott's contributions with both bat and ball propelled him to joint 18th in the all-rounder rankings.