India stand on the cusp of wrestling back the No. 1 Test ranking, which they relinquished to arch-rivals Pakistan last month, as they prepare to face New Zealand in Kolkata on Friday. A win in the second Test, which would also hand Virat Kohli's men the three-match series, would help India leapfrog Pakistan, reported PTI. Currently, India lie second in the International Cricket Council Test rankings with 110 points, one behind Pakistan.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, whose 10-wicket haul masterminded India's 197-run win in Kanpur, has currently grabbed the second spot in the Test bowlers chart, moving one point ahead of England pacer James Anderson. Ashwin now lies just seven points behind the leader, South Africa's Dale Steyn. Another good haul with the ball in Kolkata can potentially witness Ashwin reclaim the No. 1 spot among bowlers, a feat that the Tamil Nadu spinner has claimed twice in the past. The 30-year-old also put some daylight between him Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan in the all-rounders list, sitting pretty at the top of the pile with a lead of 66.
Indian batsmen also surged ahead in the rankings after the Kanpur Test. Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay, who had good outings with the bat in both the innings of the match, now lie joint 16th in the batting charts. KL Rahul leaped five spots to reach the 57th spot. Rohit Sharma, after his half-century in the second innings, moved up by two places to reach the 50th rank.