International Cricket Council (ICC) Batsman's rankings are out for August and Joe Root has taken huge strides and captured the no. 2 spot in the rankings. The England captain's form has been close to magical this season. In 2021, Root has scored 1117 runs at an average of 62.05. On the other hand, Virat Kohli dropped one place from where he stood in July and sits at the no. 5 spot, while Rohit Sharma attained his career-best Test rankings on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli's form, of late, has been on the average side of things. He did not score a lot of runs in the first two Test matches in England. Thus, it might have acted catalyst in the Indian skipper losing some crucial points and sliding down the rankings. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma gave decent starts to India. Although he could not improve on his rank, he now has a rating of 773 which is his career-best.
Fun-Fact: Rohit Sharma was 54th in ICC Test rankings when he became the opener and two years later, he is 6th. Quite an achievement!
Another special mention is of Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam. He jumped two spots and found a place in the top 10 Test batsmen in the world currently. His form against the West Indies Test would be the reason for the Paki's upliftment.
Joe Root in 2021
Tests: 10; Runs: 1117; Average: 62.05 Hundred: 4 High-Score: 228
In the bowlers' rankings, Jasprit Bumrah entered the Top 10 while Ashwin quietly maintaining the no. 2 positions in the rankings, despite not playing in the first two Test matches against England. James Anderson climbed one place, while Mitchell Star of Australia drops out of Top 10.