South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has overtaken England spearhead James Anderson as the No.1 ranked ICC Test bowler after his tally of five wickets in the Newlands victory over India.
This is the first time that the 22-year-old has climbed to the top of the ICC charts since making his debut for South Africa and he was undoubtedly delighted with the fact.
“It’s special to be ranked as the No.1 Test bowler in the world. It is a surreal feeling. It’s what you dream of achieving when you start playing the game,” Rabada said.
“Cricket is ultimately a team sport and I’m thankful for the support from my team-mates. It’s a great start to the year personally and for us as a team, hopefully, we can continue putting in winning performances,” he added.
In the batting stakes, Australia skipper Steve Smith continues to lead with 947 points after his remarkable run in the Ashes although there has been a drop in rankings for his India captain Virat Kohli.
Kohli has dropped to the third spot after being overtaken by Root.
Kohli has slipped from the second position to third with England’s Joe Root overtaking him by one rating point. His India team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara dropped down to the fifth spot from number three behind New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson.
India’s spin-twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are ranked third and fourth respectively in the latest bowler’s rankings behind the pace due of Rabada and Anderson.
Meanwhile, Vernon Philander’s six-wicket haul in the second innings at Newlands has seen him gain six spots in the rankings as he nestles in at the sixth spot behind Australia’s Josh Hazlewood.
