Ollie Pope makes huge gain in ICC Test Rankings; Jasprit Bumrah becomes 4th ranked Test bowler

England batter Ollie Pope has been doing rounds for the last one week. The batter after his heroics in the Hyderabad Test against India helped his team take a 1-0 lead in the series and also gained huge praise for the valiant innings that he played. 

Ollie Pope for his brilliance with the bat in Hyderabad has been rewarded. The batter made a huge gain in the ICC Test Rankings for the batter on Wednesday (31st January). England’s No.3 in Test cricket climbed 20 spots up to acquire the 15th rank in the Test Rankings for the batters. 

Ollie Pope played a blinder in the second innings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The batter oozed his class and played a marathon knock of 196 runs that bailed England out of trouble and put them in a dominating position, putting pressure back on the hosts. 

Ollie Pope’s innings came at a time when England had a deficit of 190 runs. In the second innings, the visitors lost early wickets and were under pressure. When the chips were down and pressure was high, he stepped up for his team and made sure that he ended with near-perfect innings. 

This was Ollie Pope’s highest Test score away from home and the fourth-highest individual innings by an England men’s player in a Test in India. It arguably was one of the best innings by touring batters in Indian conditions, which offered turn. 

Apart from Ollie Pope, Australia opener Usman Khawaja after his half-century against West Indies in Gabba also made substantial gains in Rankings. The southpaw jumped up two spots to no.8. Whereas Ben Duckett after his handy innings in Hyderabad gained five places to 22nd. 

New Zealand batter Kane Williamson is the No.1 ranked Test batter. Whereas England batter Joe Root is in the second spot followed by Steve Smith. Kiwi batter Daryl Mitchell bagged the No.4 spot followed by Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, who are 5th and 6th ranked ICC Test batters. 

Apart from Ollie Pope; Jasprit Bumrah clinches 4th rank 

While Ollie Pope made headlines for his batting prowess in the Test Rankings for batters, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah did the same in the bowling department. The fast bowler displayed a great performance in Hyderabad, which offered assistance to spinners. 

Jasprit Bumrah claimed two wickets in the first innings and then followed it up with a four-wicket haul in the second innings. His impressive performances saw him climbing to the 4th spot in the ICC Test Rankings for the bowlers. Ravichandran Ashwin retained his top spot. 

West Indies trio of Kemar Roach (up two places to 17th), Alzarri Joseph (up four places to 33rd), and Shamar Joseph (up 42 spots to equal 50th) made substantial gains as well. They played a huge role in the Caribbean team defeating Australia at the Gabba and leveling the series by the margin of 1-1. 

Joe Root after his brilliant all-round skills in the first Test in Hyderabad rose to a career-high rating on the list for Test all-rounder. He bagged the fourth spot following his five wickets against India.