ICC Test Rankings: Mayank Agarwal drops out of Top 10; Tom Blundell, Kyle Jamieson make giant strides 

What's the story?

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal has fallen out of the Top 10 of the ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen after his disappointing performances in the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand.

On the other hand, the New Zealand pairing of Tom Blundell and Kyle Jamieson have made giant strides in the rankings.

The background

After a successful home Test season, Agarwal had moved up to the tenth spot in the ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen. Unfortunately, the right-handed batsman from Karnataka could not replicate his performances in New Zealand as he could register only one half-century in the entire series.

Meanwhile, Tom Blundell aggregated 117 runs in 2 Test matches while debutant Kyle Jamieson ended the series with 9 wickets and 93 runs.

The heart of the matter

Virat Kohli maintained his second spot, while Kane Williamson slipped one position in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Rankings for batsmen after the #NZvIND series. ➡️ https://t.co/prAx9uffmC pic.twitter.com/YJRok7JJWn

— ICC (@ICC) March 3, 2020

English all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken Agarwal's place in the Top 10 while Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also dropped one spot in the batting rankings. Cheteshwar Pujara has moved up to the seventh spot while Marnus Labuschagne has entered the top three, replacing New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson.

Among the bowlers, Tim Southee stormed into the Top 5 after winning the Player of the Series award, while Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult gained four places each. Kyle Jamieson jumped 26 spots in the all-rounders' rankings to occupy the 22nd position.

What's next?

After losing the Test series against New Zealand, India will return home and gear up for their upcoming ODI series against South Africa. On the other hand, New Zealand will re-ignite their Trans-Tasman rivalry with Australia as the two sides clash in a three-match ODI series.