Calcutta: Ravindra Jadeja got the better of spin partner Ravichandran Ashwin to grab the pole position in the latest ranking for ICC Test bowlers, while Cheteshwar Pujara reached a career-high second rank among batsmen.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja's nine wickets in the drawn third Test against Australia, helped him go past Ashwin. The duo were tied at the top spot in the earlier rankings.
Jadeja, who grabbed five for 124 and four for 52 in Ranchi, has gained seven points after starting joint-first with Ashwin at 892 points. The left-arm spinner has become only the third Indian player after Ashwin and Bishan Singh Bedi to top the bowling charts.
Pujara too has reasons to celebrate as his knock of 202 has helped him gain four slots to reach a career-best second ranking with 861 points.
The Saurashtra batsman has replaced New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who is now in fifth place, also slipping behind Joe Root and Virat Kohli, who remained static at fourth position. Top-ranked Australian captain Steve Smith has reached a career-high rating of 941 points after scores of 178 not out and 21.
While Jadeja has closed in on a major landmark as his tally of 899 rating points has put him on the brink of becoming only the second Indian bowler after Ashwin to touch the 900-point mark, Ashwin, who had a highest rating of 904 points, has slipped 37 points behind Jadeja to 862 points after finishing with just two wickets in Ranchi.
The latest rankings include the Colombo Test, which saw Bangladesh register a historic win against Sri Lanka, and the Wellington Test where South Africa thwarted New Zealand to go 1-0 up in the series.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj, who had a stellar outing in the Wellington Test, has benefited 15 places and now occupies the career-best 37th spot, while Indian pacer Umesh Yadav (26th) and Bangladesh's pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman (47th) too have achieved their career-best rankings.
Smith, who scored 178 and 21 in respective innings of Ranchi Test, has now aggregated a career-high of 941 points.
His tally is the joint-fifth highest ever along with Peter May. Only Sir Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) have achieved higher rating points.
Meanwhile, the race for the second spot in the ICC Test team rankings has become interesting as Australia and South Africa compete ahead of the cut-off date of April 1, on which India is assured of finishing first and getting a cash award of $1 million.
Australia will finish second and get a cash award of $500,000 with at least a draw in the last Test in Dharamsala while South Africa can finish second if Australia loses with South Africa either winning or drawing the last match against New Zealand in Hamilton.
The third-placed team on April 1 will receive $200,000 while the fourth-placed team, which will be England, will get $100,000.
