Pant Hits Career-Best Test Rank After His Record-Breaking Innings in Leeds 

India didn’t start the England Test series on a high note. The first India-England Test at Headingley ended with a five-wicket loss. But amidst the disappointment, a few individual performances stood out strongly — and none more than vice-captain Rishabh Pant. He batted like a man on a mission and ended up creating some serious records, not just for the team, but for his own career too.

Pant smashed two centuries in the same match — something no Asian wicketkeeper had done before. And after this solid show, he has reached 7th place in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, with 801 points, which is now his career-best. This wasn’t just another good game for him; this one changed a lot in his record book.

Gill, Rahul and Jaiswal Also Shine

Indian team captain Shubman Gill could not win the first match as skipper, but with the bat, he did well. He played the inning of 147 runs in the match, which helped him gain crucial rating points. Now with 660 points, he is at the 20th position (after ranking up 5 spots). 

KL Rahul, one of the senior most in this current squad, was solid in both innings. He scored a handy 42 runs up top and followed it with a massive 137 when India really needed someone to stay on the crease. This innings helped him to rank 10th. Now he is in 38th place with 579 rating points. 

Then there’s Yashasvi Jaiswal. A bit of a mixed Test for him. On one hand, he scored a classy 101 in the first innings — but on the other, he dropped four catches in the second innings, which is a new unwanted record for most drops in a single Test innings. That led to a lot of social media criticism. Still, his batting ranking is safe — he stays at 4th place, gaining some extra rating points too. Right now, he’s India’s highest-ranked Test batter.

Check the Rating of Men’s Test Teams

Bumrah Consistent as Ever, Jadeja & Siraj Drop Down

Now, Jasprit Bumrah — he’s just in his own league right now. Another five-wicket haul in the first innings showed why he’s still the best around. He is still at the top as No. 1 Test bowler in the world, with 907 points. 

Ravindra Jadeja, however, didn’t have a good time. With just 1 wicket in the match and barely anything with the bat, he dropped three places in bowling (now 13th) and two places in batting (now 49th). Still, he continues to be No. 1 in the all-rounders’ list with 376 points. But yeah, not his best game.

Mohammed Siraj also had a forgettable match. He didn’t pick up key wickets and looked off-color. His position in the ranking didn’t change much — he’s still at 30th, but his rating points went down a bit. With bench strength waiting, he’ll have to pull up his game.

Who’s at the Top Globally?

Let’s also look at the global Test ranking scene.

Series Ahead

Rishabh Pant’s brilliant innings in the first match helped him to gain the career best ranking (7th). Along with him, skipper Gill, Jaiswal, Rahul and Bumrah too shine in the match, which helped them to gain more rating points. If they show the same form throughout the series, India will definitely bounce back and can win the series.