In the latest ICC Test rankings announced Wednesday, Steve Smith has reclaimed his position as the world's number one batsman. Smith's 891 points pushed Kane Williamson down to second place (886 points), as the latter suffered a slight dip in ranking after missing the second Test against England because of an elbow injury.
This is the first time since the 2020 Boxing Day Test—the traditional match played on December 26th at Melbourne's MCG—that Steve Smith has held the top rank. Across 167 Test matches, Smith has established a legacy that trails only the greats Garry Sobers and Vivian Richards in terms of matches spent at the peak.
Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, has climbed to fourth in the rankings with a total of 814 points. As he gets ready to captain India in the WTC Final against New Zealand, the lack of a century since the 2019 Day-Night Test against Bangladesh remains the primary reason he isn't currently in the top three.
India is also represented in the top 10 by the powerful Rohit Sharma and the spirited Rishabh Pant, the latter of whom maintains a joint sixth-place standing with 747 points.
On the bowling front, India's star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin remains in second place with 850 points, trailing only Pat Cummins, who leads with 908. Ashwin stands as the sole Indian bowler in the top 10. Additionally, Ravindra Jadeja holds the second spot in the Test all-rounder rankings with 386 points.