Ashwin, Kohli achieve career-best rankings

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Ravichandran Ashwin (C) of India celebrates after getting the wicket of Ed Cowan of Australia during day three of the Fourth Test Match between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval on January 26, 2012 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images)

Dubai, Sep 4 (IANS) Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin broke into the top 20 for the first time in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers released on Tuesday.

Virat Kohli, who scored 103 and 51 not out in the recently concluded Bangalore Test against New Zealand, vaulted 12 places to achieve a career-best ranking of 35 in the Test batsmen rankings.

Ashwin, who took 5/69 in New Zealand’s second innings Monday, jumped seven places to a career-best 18th position.

The Chennai bowler finished the series with 18 wickets and gained 26 places on the bowlers’ table through the course of the series, as India whitewashed the Kiwis 2-0 in the two-match series where Ashwin was named player-of-the-series.

Pragyan Ojha, who ended with a match haul of 7/148, moved up a place to career-best 14th.

Pace bowlers Zaheer Khan (15th) and Umesh Yadav (48th) slipped a place each.

South Africa’s Dale Steyn still leads the rankings for Test bowlers.

The other Indian batsman to make upward movement is Mahendra Singh Dhoni who moved up two places to 36th.

Batsmen losing ground after the Bangalore Test include Sachin Tendulkar in 16th (down by five), Virender Sehwag in 23rd (down by one), Gautam Gambhir in 38th (down by two) and Cheteshwar Pujara in 58th (down by two).

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara remains the top-ranked batsman.

The series-win against the Black Caps has fetched India two ratings points and they are placed fifth in the Test teams championship.