Veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan remained static at their respective 12th spots to be the highest-placed Indian cricketers in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Wednesday.
While Tendulkar is the only Indian in the top-20 of the batting list, Zaheer has company in the form of spinner Pragyan Ojha, who held on to his 20th spot, in the bowling chart.
Meanwhile, South African Jacques Kallis led the charge of his country’s batsmen up the rankings after his side’s stunning innings and 12-run victory over England on Monday.
Kallis, who scored an unbeaten 182 and also took two wickets for 38 in England’s first innings, not only moved up two places in batting rankings to second place but also unseated Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh as the number one ranked Test all-rounder.
Kallis has also moved up one rung in the rankings for Test bowlers to 31st place.
Hashim Amla’s reward for his unbeaten 311, which was South Africa’s highest ever individual Test score, was not only the man-of-the-match award but also a jump of three places in the batting rankings.
His overall rating of 872 is a career-best to date for Amla — just two behind second placed Kallis. Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, moved up four places after his 131 in South Africa’s mammoth 637 for two declared.
Smith is sixth in the batting table with AB de Villiers, who did not bat at The Oval, dropping to fifth because of the moves by Amla and Kallis.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakarra remained the top-ranked batsman and the only consolation for England was that Alastair Cook moved up one place to eighth — courtesy his first innings 115.
In the rankings for bowlers, Dale Steyn’s seven-wicket haul in the match — including a second innings five for 56 — confirmed his place at the top and edged him ever closer to the magical 900 point mark.
He has 896 — just six short of his career-best mark of 902 achieved against Sri Lanka at Centurion in 2011.
