Shubman Gill Climbs to Career-High Sixth in Test Rankings after Edgbaston Heroics

There's been a fresh shake-up in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings following the latest round of matches — and it’s Harry Brook who’s grabbed the spotlight. The England batter has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among Test batters, leapfrogging his teammate Joe Root after a brilliant knock in the second Test against India.

Brook’s classy 158 in the first innings at Edgbaston was enough to push him 18 rating points clear of Root, who now sits in second. It’s a return to the top for Brook, who continues to impress. India captain Shubman Gill is turning plenty of heads too. Gill, who had a match to remember at Edgbaston with scores of 269 and 161, has jumped a whopping 15 places to reach sixth in the rankings — his best-ever position. He now sits just 79 rating points behind Brook, and if he keeps this form going, the race for No. 1 could get even tighter. 

Between Brook and Gill, the other names in the top five are familiar ones. Root is second, followed by New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in third, India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal in fourth, and Australia’s Steve Smith in fifth. Jamie Smith also made a huge impact with the bat in only his second Test appearance. The young England wicketkeeper-batter played a gutsy 184 not out in the first innings and backed it up with an 88 in the second. His efforts, particularly in bailing England out from 84 for 5, earned him a 16-place leap to break into the top 10 for the first time. He now sits at No. 10 and looks set to be a regular fixture on this list. 

South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder also had a standout week. His unbeaten 367 against Zimbabwe, one of the highest individual scores in Test history, lifted him 34 places to No. 22 among batters. And that’s not all — he also climbed 12 spots to No. 3 on the allrounders’ chart. Mulder had the chance to chase down Brian Lara’s legendary 400*, but chose to declare the innings instead. A bold move, but one that’s still earned him plenty of recognition. At the top of the allrounders' rankings, India’s Ravindra Jadeja holds firm, still comfortably leading the pack. 

On the bowling side, Jasprit Bumrah retains his spot as the No. 1 Test bowler despite missing the Edgbaston Test. His teammate Mohammed Siraj, who impressed in that match, jumped six places to No. 22. There were gains for the West Indies duo too — Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph moved up to 29th and 31st respectively after solid recent outings in Australia.