India captain Shubman Gill has experienced a slight slump in the updated ICC Test rankings released on Wednesday. Gill has slipped two positions, whereas Jasprit Bumrah has also been dropped one spot down among bowlers, while Devdutt Padikkal has risen to the 54th spot following a sensational performance in the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Gill made a moderate return, registering only one half-century across three innings on the Sri Lanka tour. His performance had a negative impact on his rankings as he slipped two positions to reach ninth. Wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant remains the highest-ranked Indian batter in Test cricket at seventh.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal remains unmoved at 11th in the rankings. Padikkal, who scored 328 runs and emerged as India’s best batter in the Sri Lanka series, experienced a gain of five places to finish at 54th position in the updated rankings.
However, India’s pace spearhead Bumrah has been pushed to 3rd spot in the rankings from 2nd, largely due to inactivity. Bumrah had missed the tour of Sri Lanka owing to an injury on his knee, which has sidelined him from action since mid-July. Australia’s Mitchell Starc leads the rankings for Test bowlers, whereas New Zealand’s Matt Henry is placed second.
Bumrah is a part of India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to begin on September 13. However, his availability is subject to fitness clearance.
Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha, who made match-saving centuries in the second Test at Colombo against India, moved as many as 29 positions to reach 25th in the rankings for batters after his splendid performances.