Harry Brook Overtakes Joe Root to Become World No. 1 Test Batter, Shubman Gill Takes Major Leap

In the ongoing India-England series, Harry Brook has shown why he remains the most reliable batter in the Brendon McCullum (Baz-ball) era. In just two matches, the 26-year-old has scored 280 runs at an average of 70, with his standout performance being a 158-run innings at Edgbaston. These performances have propelled him up the top of the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings, with 886 rating points.

Harry Brook has now overtaken Joe Root to become the world’s top-ranked Test batter, following Root’s subdued performance in the first two Tests against India. Brook surged five spots from No. 6 to claim the No. 1 position, over the span of a month. Interestingly, it is not the first time the 26-year-old has reached the pinnacle; in December 2024, he hit a career-high rating of 898, holding the top spot for a week.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill jumped to a career-best sixth spot, becoming the second-highest ranked Indian player on the list, with 807 rating points. The 25-year-old’s recent jump has been courtesy to his record-breaking display in the second Test against England at Edgbaston. He smashed 269 in the first innings, and followed it up with a 161 in the second, to reach a match aggregate of 430 runs, the highest by an Indian batter and the second-highest in Test cricket history. 

In the two Tests so far, the newly appointed Indian red-ball captain has been exceptional, scoring 585 runs, including two hundreds and a double hundred, at an average of 146.25. Gill has made a significant surged from his previous best of No. 14 with 706 points, to the No. 6 spot, with an increase of 106 points. Moreover, he joins Yashasvi Jaiswal (No.4) and Rishabh Pant (No. 7) among the top ten, on the rankings.

Apart from Shubman Gill and Harry Brook, Jamie Smith also saw a significant rise in his position on the Test Batting Rankings. The 24-year-old wicket-keeper batter’s scores of 184 and 88 in the two innings at Edgbaston helped him move up 16 places, to the No. 10 spot.

Not Just Shubman Gill, But Indian Bowlers Climb Up the Rankings Following Edgbaston Triumph

While Shubman Gill climbed 15 spots to reach No. 6 in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings, Indian bowlers also saw significant improvements. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep were among the biggest movers in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings, following India’s Test victory at Edgbaston.

Siraj, after scalping a six-wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test, moved up six places to the 22nd spot on the Bowling Rankings. Meanwhile, Akash Deep, who claimed his maiden six-wicket haul in Test cricket for India and ended the match with figures of 10/187, surged 39 places in the rankings. The 28-year-old pacer now sits at the 45th spot on the ICC Test Bowling Rankings.

Further, Jasprit Bumrah held onto his top spot in the ICC Test Bowling Rankings, even though he missed on playing in the second Test against England. Apart from him, Ravindra Jadeja slipped one spot to 14th, and Kuldeep Yadav fell two places to 25th, on the rankings.