Published 17:30 IST, January 20th 2021
Rishabh Pant becomes top-ranked keeper batsman in ICC Test rankings post Gabba heroics
Rishabh Pant jumped to the 13th position in the ICC Test rankings as he became the top-ranked wicketkeeper on the table followed by Quinton de Kock at 15
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Riding on the back of brilliant performances down under, Team India's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant attained his career-best ICC Test batting rank on Wednesday. The explosive batsman jumped to the 13th position in the ICC Test rankings as he became the top-ranked wicketkeeper on the table. Pant is followed by South African skipper Quinton de Kock, who holds the 15th place in the rankings.
Pant's boost in the rankings was provided by his valiant innings worth 89 runs on the final day of the Gabba Test which saw India win the Border Gavaskar Trophy on Tuesday. The Indian wicketkeeper also played a crucial inning of 97 runs at the SCG where the match ended in a draw taking the series down to the wire. The latest ICC Test rankings for batting also saw India skipper Virat Kohli fall out of the top 3 for the first time since 2016 as he missed the last three Tests in Australia.
Labuschagne occupies the third spot
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson continues his stay at the top with 919 rating points, closely followed by Australia’s batting talisman Steve Smith. Cheteshwar Pujara (at No. 7) and Ajinkya Rahane (at No. 9) are the other Indian batsmen apart from Kohli to make it into the top 10. Australia's youngster Marnus Labuschagne has occupied the third spot on the rankings whereas England skipper Joe root returned to the top five after a brilliant double-century against Sri Lanka.
Pant breaks record at the Gabba
Enroute his match-winning knock at the Gabba, Pant broke a huge record which was previously held by former Indian captain and his predecessor, MS Dhoni. The 23-year old became the fastest Indian wicket-keeper to scored 1000 runs in Test cricket. Pant reached the milestone in his 27th innings whereas MS Dhoni had done the same in 32 innings. As far as the fastest wicketkeeper to have scored 1000 runs in Test cricket is concerned, South African captain Quinton de Kock tops the list who achieved the feat in just 21 innings.
India created history at the Gabba on Tuesday after defeating Australia in the 4th Test thereby ending Australia's 31 Test unbeaten streak in Brisbane. Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar went all guns blazing in the final session to help India chase down the mammoth 326-run target set by Australia. Wicketkeeper-batsmen Rishabh Pant kept the momentum going for India after Pujara's dismissal and held his nerve to get the visitors across the line. With the win at Brisbane, India now find themselves within visible distance of reaching the World Test Championships finals scheduled to be held at Lords, England.
17:30 IST, January 20th 2021