Ashwin breaks into Top 10, Dhawan vaults to 32

Dubai, Aug.16 : Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has moved three places to ninth in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers, while Shikhar Dhawan vaulted 15 places to a career-high 32nd in the rankings for batsmen, despite India losing the opening Test match against Sri Lanka by 63 runs in Galle.

Ashwin claimed match figures of 10 for 160, while Dhawan scored his fourth Test century (134 and 28). He also became the third Indian opening batsman – after Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid – to score Test centuries in consecutive innings overseas.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s first innings score of 103, his 11th Test century, has cemented 10th position and he is now five points clear of Australia’s David Warner.

There was good news for several Sri Lanka players in the latest ICC rankings which were released following its memorable victory over India on Saturday, with career high gains for Dinesh Chandimal and Tharindu Kaushal as Rangana Herath also helped inspire the hosts to an unlikely victory.

Skipper Angelo Mathews has overtaken his team-mate Kumar Sangakarra and, in the process, moved up one place to fifth in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen after scores of 64 and 39. Sangakarra, who will make his final appearance for Sri Lanka in the second Test which starts in Colombo on Thursday, now lies nine points behind Mathews on 851 points.

The highest mover in the batting rankings was wicket-keeper Chandimal who put in a man of the match performance by scoring 59 and 162 not out to vault 22 places to a career-high 23rd.

As a result of some fine performances with the ball, left-arm spinner Herath has moved up two places to sixth after claiming match figures of seven for 115 runs, his 22nd five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and is now on 771 points, a point clear of South Africa’s Vernon Philander.

Herath is now in third place in the all-time wicket-taker list for left-arm spinners on 270 wickets, four clear of Bishan Singh Bedi, with England’s Derek Underwood (297 wickets) in second place and New Zealand great Daniel Vettori (362) leading the list. (ANI)