Joe Root reclaims top spot in Test batter rankings, Indian players rise in T20I rankings

Dubai [UAE], July 31 : England's stalwart batter, Joe Root, reclaimed the number one spot in the latest ICC Test batters rankings.
New Zealand's Test icon Kane Williamson's stay at the top of the Test batter rankings ended. Root will begin his ninth stint at the top of the ICC Test batter rankings following his commendable performances in the three-match red-ball series against the West Indies.
The 33-year-old garnered 291 runs in three matches and gave trouble to the Caribbean side. His influential 87-run knock in the third and final Test in Birmingham allowed him to leapfrog over Williamson at the top of the ICC Test batter rankings.
Root achieved a major landmark during the series as he moved past West Indies icon Brian Lara's 11,953 runs in the list of all-time highest run scorers in the format. Root is now the seventh-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
With 12,207 runs under his belt, Root has the most runs among active Test cricketers. Australia's Steven Smith (9,685) and Virat Kohli (8,848) are behind him by a considerable margin. The first time Root became the number one Test batter was in 2015 and the last time he held the ranking was in June 2023.
Root's latest surge saw Williamson move to second, Pakistan's white-ball captain Babar Azam level with Daryl Mitchell on third and Smith on the fifth spot, followed by India skipper Rohit Sharma on sixth.
England Test captain Ben Stokes was also rewarded for his batting performances as he moved four places up to 30th.
In the Test bowling rankings, pacers Mark Wood (up six spots to 20th) and Gus Atkinson (gained four places to 46th) were the main beneficiaries of the updated rankings.
In the T20I rankings, Indian players benefited from their whitewash over Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series.
India openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (moved to the fourth spot) and Shubman Gill (moved 16 places up to the 21st spot) showed progress in the T20I batter rankings following their consistent performances in the series.
Gill featured in two matches and racked up 73 runs, while Jaiswal played all three matches and scored 80 runs. India captain Suryakumar Yadav stayed in the second spot behind Australia's Travis Head.
In the T20I bowler rankings, spinner Ravi Bishnoi moved into the top 10 (10th spot). He ended the series as the leading wicket-taker across both teams with a tally of six.
In the T20I all-rounder rankings, Australia's Marcus Stoinis moved to the summit after Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga dropped to the third spot following the three-match T20I series against India.