Joe Root‘s unstoppable run-making in the series against India has carried him to No. 1 in the ICC Test batting rankings, displacing Kane Williamson at the top. Root tops the Test batting rankings for the first time since December 2015, and is just one rating point off his career-best aggregate of 917, which he also achieved back in 2015.
Three Tests into the India series, Root has three centuries and a fifty to his name, for a tally of 507 at 126.75. Speaking on the eve of The Oval Test, Root said: “It [the news of going to No. 1] is a nice thing to hear. My main focus is on trying to keep scoring runs and get us across the line in this series. As nice as it is, there’s still so much hard work to do and the focus doesn’t change. It’s all about continuing to try and keep getting better, continue scoring runs and hopefully setting up games to win Test matches.
“It’s obviously nice but it’s not something I have as a goal or a main focus in what I’m trying to do, but I’m obviously proud to hear that I’ve achieved that. It would be nice to be able to stay there now and continue playing in the way I am.”
The series is currently tied 1-1 – Root having carried England’s batting all through so far – with two Tests to play.
Other gainers from the series include England’s spearhead James Anderson, who has moved back into the top five of the Test bowling rankings following his match haul of four in England’s win in Headingley. And from the India camp, Rohit Sharma moves up to No. 5 among the batters, pushing Virat Kohli down to No. 6 – Rohit’s numbers in the series currently read 230 runs at 46.00, compared to Kohli’s 124 at 24.80. This is the first time since November 2017 that a batter other than Kohli is the top-ranked Indian on the table.
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