ICC Test Rankings | Rahane retains spot over Kohli; Anderson the new No.1

Veteran pacer James Anderson, who has already picked up 18 wickets in the first two Test matches of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, has jumped to the No.1 spot in the Test rankings, beating his teammate Stuart Board, who fell down to No. 3. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has remained at No.2 - 13 points behind Anderson. Ravindra Jadeja is the only other Indian bowler in the top-15 still holding his spot at No.6.

This is the first time in his illustrious career that James Anderson has gone to the top of the Test rankings. He also became the fourth England bowler to do so after Ian Botham (1980), Steve Harmison (2004), and Stuart Broad (2016).

In the rankings for the batsmen, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli have both jumped one spot to 11th and 13th respectively. The duo are still a long way off the likes of Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson, who currently occupy the top-three spots in the table.

India's last Test match came in December last year when they hosted South Africa for the fourth Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla. This long gap has meant that the Indian players have not had the chance to gain points in the rankings. They will play one Test match in Zimbabwe this month, where most of the big names have been rested. Their next big Test series will be in West Indies in July.

ICC Test Rankings - Bowling

1. James Anderson (England)

2. Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

3. Stuart Board (England)

4. Yasir Shah (Pakistan)

5. Dale Steyn (South Africa)

6. Ravindra Jadeja (India)

7. Trent Boutl (New Zealand)

8. Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

9. Morne Morkel (South Africa)

10. Vernon Philander (South Africa)

ICC Test Rankings - Batting

1. Steve Smith (Australia)

2. Joe Root (England)

3. Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

4. Hashim Amla (South Africa)

5. Younus Khan (Pakistan)

6. AB de Villiers (South Africa)

7. Adam Voges (Australia)

8. David Warner (Australia)

9. Angelo Matthews (Sri Lanka)

10. Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)