Leeds Centurions Shine Bright in Latest Rankings Shake-Up

England had a thrilling 5 wicket victory over India in the 1st Test at Headingley. It not only delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory but also led to significant movement in the latest ICC Men's Test Rankings, especially among the batters.

Ben Duckett was the biggest gainer. He scored 62 and 149 and was named Player of the Match. He jumped 5 places to No. 8 in the Test batting rankings

His fluent century helped England chase 371 runs. It was the 2nd highest 4th innings score by any English opener. His knock made it the 10th highest successful chase in Test history.

India’s Rishabh Pant was also among the headline gainers. He made history for India. Pant scored centuries in both innings (134 and 118). He became only the 2nd wicketkeeper to achieve this feat after Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower. Pant rose to No. 7, his personal best.

England’s Ollie Pope moved to 19th and Jamie Smith leapt to 27th after scoring vital runs under pressure. Indian Captain Shubman Gill also moved up 5 spots to 20th after fine century in the 1st innings

England’s Joe Root retained his place as the No. 1 Test batter, while Harry Brook stayed just behind him.

In the all-rounder rankings, England captain Ben Stokes climbed to No. 5 after solid contributions with both bat and ball. Meanwhile, India’s Jasprit Bumrah kept hold of the top spot among Test bowlers after another impressive 5 wicket haul.

The game itself was a rollercoaster. India struck back with quick wickets. England looked in trouble at multiple points especially after losing Duckett, Brook and Stokes in quick succession.

But Root’s calm 53* and Smith’s finishing 6 sealed the win, handing England a 1-0 series lead.

India had scored 5 centuries in the match. Still, they lost after 2 major collapses. They lost 7 for 41 in the 1st innings and 6 for 31 in the 2nd.

It was the 1st time a team scored 5 centuries and still lost a Test. They also had 6 ducks, 3 in each innings. Indian captain Shubman Gill admitted his team missed chances. “A few dropped catches and lower-order failures cost us,” he said.

Elsewhere, Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto made gains after the Galle Test. Rahim rose to 28th. Shanto jumped 21 spots to 29th.