King of bowlers now czar of allrounders
Ravindra Jadeja, addressed by his captain Virat Kohli as a ‘sword-fighter’ has edged out Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan to claim the top rank among all-rounders apart from maintaining pole position in the bowlers’ chart in the latest ICC Test cricket rankings. Jadeja has 438 points among all-rounders while Shakib has 431.
It has been a season to remember for the India all-rounder. In the five-Test series against England last year—which Virat Kohli’s men won 4-0 – Jadeja took 26 wickets and scored 224 runs at an average of 37.33. Kohli even pointed out Jadeja’s rapid climb as a lower order batsman who can contribute consistently and picked him as a perfect foil to R Ashwin’s match-winning performances.
In the four Tests against Australia earlier this year, Jadeja was the leading wicket-taker with 25 wickets and also slammed two crucial fifties.
In the ongoing three-Test series against Sri Lanka, the leftarm spinner has taken 13 wickets in two matches, the most by a bowler from either side. He has also scored 85 runs with a halfcentury in the recently concluded Colombo Test, which India won by an innings and 53 runs.
Jadeja, however, will miss the final Test due to suspension. He paid the price for throwing the ball back at Malinda Pushpakumara who had not left his crease. The on-field umpires deemed the action dangerous as it narrowly missed the batsman. Jadeja admitted the offence, which led to a 50% match fee fine and a oneTest ban. Jadeja left for home on Tuesday as a suspended player is not allowed to be part of the dressing room and Jadeja would have had to stay in the team hotel. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav is likely to replace him in the 11.
Cheteshwar Pujara (888 points) gained a place to be third among batsmen, while Virat Kohli (813 points) maintained his fifth position. Steve Smith and Joe Root are still No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the list of batsmen.
The significant gainer is Ajinkya Rahane (776 points), who has climbed five places to sixth in the list. Opener KL Rahul is at number 11 with 737 points.
Incidentally, the match which put Jadeja on top of the heap is also the one where he breached the ICC Code of Conduct to be handed a one-Test suspension.
In the recently-concluded second Test, which India won by an innings and 53 runs, Ravindra Jadeja contributed an unbeaten 70 and also took seven wickets, including a five-for.
Jadeja also gained nine places to take 51st rank among batsmen while India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has attained a career-best 44th position after moving up four places.
In the bowlers’ list, Ravichandran Ashwin (842 points) dropped a place to be third with Jimmy Anderson a notch below Ravindra Jadeja.
Pacers Mohammed Shami (20th) and Umesh Yadav (22nd) have also made notable gains.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has finished the series against South Africa with a career-best rank of 21 among batsmen, 18th among bowlers and fourth in the table for all-rounders.
His rise in the rankings was due to consistent performances as he became the first player to score 250 runs and take 25 wickets in a four-Test series. He was named the player of the series along with South Africa’s Morne Morkel.
TOP HONOURS Ravindra Jadeja, best Test bowler, goes past ShakibAlHasan to top ICC rankings for allrounders IN THE FOUR TESTS AGAINST AUSTRALIA, JADEJA LED THE LIST WITH 25 WICKETS AND ALSO SLAMMED TWO FIFTIES IN RANCHI AND
DHARAMSALA. JADEJA’S TOP PERFORMANCES