Jadeja's career-best pushes him to 2nd spot in Test bowlers' ranking

Dubai [UAE], Dec.21 (ANI): Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's maiden 10-wicket match haul during the fifth and final Test against England in Chennai has propelled him to the second spot behind teammate and star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers. Jadeja's performance has earned him 66 points and brought him within eight points of Ashwin. This is just the second time that the top two spots in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers have been occupied by India players, with the pair emulating left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi and leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, who were ranked one and two in 1974. Jadeja grabbed 10-154 in the final Test and finished with 26 wickets in the five-match series against the Alastair Cook-led side while Ashwin ended with 28 wickets as India completed a 4-0 series victory, culminating with an innings and 75 runs win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Jadeja, who leapfrogged Josh Hazlewood, James Anderson, Dale Steyn and Rangana Herth, has also gained one place to reach a career-best third rank in the list of all-rounders, also led by Ashwin. Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc is another one to rise in the rankings as he has moved up two slots to a career-best sixth position after taking seven wickets in the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane, which his team won by 39 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Pace bowlers Ishant Sharma of India (up two places to 23rd rank), Wahab Riaz of Pakistan (up two places to a career-best 24th rank) and Australia's Jackson Bird (up five places to 48th) are the others to make upward movements. In the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, India's Lokesh Rahul and Karun Nair have made huge gains. Rahul's knock of 199 has helped him gain 29 slots to reach a career-best 51st position while Nair's unbeaten 303 in only his third Test innings has lifted him 122 places to 55th position. Pakistan's Younus Khan has moved up one place to eighth position, Azhar Ali has gained one slot to reach 16th rank, while Asad Shafiq has moved up five places to 20th rank after scoring two and 137 in Brisbane. Australia batsman Usman Khawaja has reached a career-best 18th rank after knocks of four and 74. (ANI)