After amassing 350 runs in seven innings during the historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia, Rishabh Pant has scaled new heights by aggregating highest rating points by an India wicketkeeper in the ICC rankings.
In the latest Test rankings released by the ICC on Tuesday, "21-year-old left-hander has gained 21 slots and reached 17th place, the joint-highest by a specialist India wicketkeeper along with Farokh Engineer, who did so in January 1973."
"Further, Pant’s aggregate of 673 rating points are the highest by an India wicketkeeper, with MS Dhoni having the next highest aggregate of 662 points and Engineer 619 points. Dhoni’s highest Test ranking was 19th," an ICC release read.
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Pant was the second highest scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after Cheteshwar Pujara, while also breaking the record for most catches – 20 – by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series.
In the rain-affected drawn Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Pant scored an unbeaten 159 to help India declared at 662/7, allowing the visitors to enforce the follow-on.
Having made his Test debut in August 2018, Pant has gone from strength to strength, scoring a Test hundred each in England and Australia within months.
Pujara, who scored 521 runs to win the man of the series, climbed one spot and is now third behind skipper Kohli and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
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South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, who along with Kohli, maintained the top spots in the year-end rankings, is still to the number one bowler, ahead of England legend James Anderson and Aussie Pat Cummins.
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the Sydney Test, gained seven slots to reach a career-best 45th position.
Jasprit Bumrah, the joint-highest wicket-taker of the series has held on to 16th position and Mohammed Shami has gained one place to take the 22nd slot.
