Jadeja displaces Holder as number one Test all-rounder

Ravindra Jadeja is the new number one all-rounder in Test cricket, following his epic show with bat and ball in Mohali.

Jadeja scored 175 not out and took a match haul of nine wickets to help India to an innings victory over Sri Lanka and displace West Indies’ Jason Holder at the top of the rankings. Holder held the No. 1 spot since February 2021.

This is the second time Jadeja has reached the summit of the Test allrounder rankings: he was No. 1 for a week in August 2017. Jadeja also moved up three places to No. 17 on the bowling rankings, and from 54th to 37th on the batting table.

Coming in at No. 7 after India had got to 228 for 5, Jadeja batted 228 balls for his unbeaten 175 – a strike rate of 76.75 – with 17 fours and three sixes included, to have India moving along swiftly. He strung together a century stand with R Ashwin, before India eventually declared on 574 for 8.

Jadeja then went on to take a five-for as India bowled Sri Lanka out for 174, finishing the innings off with two wickets in two balls. He could not complete the hat-trick the second time around, but claimed four more as Sri Lanka were bundled out again. Jadeja was the one to break Sri Lanka’s longest period of resistance in the game – 17 overs – with the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva, and quickly followed up by taking out the other set batter Angelo Mathews to leave India in sight of victory on day three.

He remained in contention for a match haul of ten all through, missing out right at the end as the final wicket went to his spin partner Ashwin. Had he claimed that wicket, Jadeja would have been the first player to record a score of over 150 and take ten wickets in the same game. As it were, he became only the sixth to score 150-plus and take a five-for in the same Test.

Virat Kohli, who scored 45 in what was his 100th Test, moved up two spots on the batting rankings to No. 5. Rishabh Pant, who hit a dizzying 96 off 97, moved up one spot to break into the top ten.

Rawalpindi Test: Azhar Ali up to 12^th

There was movement in the batting rankings courtesy events from the run fest in Rawalpindi as well. Pakistan piled up 476 for 4 declared and later 252 for 0, and Imam-ul-Haq, key to that performance with twin centuries, moved up to a career-best 63rd.

His maiden Test ton in the first innings came in a partnership of 208 with Azhar Ali, who hit 185 runs of his own and subsequently moved up ten places to No. 12.

Travis Head, who was the only one among Australia’s top six to score less than 48, moved down from No. 5 to No. 7. (ESPNcricinfo)