Jadeja joins Ashwin as top-ranked Test bowler

TIL Desk Sports/ India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have become the first pair of spinners to be jointly top-ranked in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers following the country’s 75-run win in the second Test of the four-match series against Australia in Bengaluru.

Jadeja’s seven wickets in the match, which included a crucial six for 63 in the first innings, have helped him move up one rank to reach the top position for the first time in his career. The last time two bowlers shared the top spot was in April 2008 when Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralidaran were at the top. Ravichandran Ashwin finished with figures of 6 for 41.

Ashwin too played an important role in the match, which India won by 75 runs to level the four-match series 1-1, so as not to concede the top ranking. His eight wickets took him past spin legend Bishan Bedi’s tally of 266 wickets and made him the fifth-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 269 wickets.