Chance for Jadeja to reclaim top spot in Sri Lanka series

Ravindra Jadeja

Kolkata, Nov 14 – Ravindra Jadeja will have a chance to reclaim the top spots among bowlers and all-rounders in the ICC rankings when India square up against Sri Lanka in the three-match Test series starting at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

Jadeja is currently second in both the categories.

In the bowlers’ category, the 28-year-old is 12 points behind England pacer James Anderson, while in the all-rounders’ list, he is eight points behind Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.

The 28-year-old has so far played 32 Tests, bagging 155 wickets and amassing 1,136 runs.

Apart from Jadeja, India skipper Virat Kohli — currently ranked sixth — will also be eyeing a return to the top five among batsmen as he presently trails Australia’s David Warner by just one point.

Other India batsmen in the top 10 include Lokesh Rahul (eighth) and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (ninth), while batsmen outside the top-20 are Shikhar Dhawan (30th), Murali Vijay (36th) and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (47th).

The other India bowlers to feature prominently in the rankings are Ravichandran Ashwin (fourth), Mohammed Shami (19th), Umesh Yadav (27th), Ishant Sharma (29th) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (37th).

Sri Lanka have two batsmen in Dimuth Karunaratne (17th) and captain Dinesh Chandimal (20th) inside the top-20, while batsmen aiming for upward movement are Angelo Mathews (24th), Niroshan Dickwella (40th), Dilruwan Perera (78th) and Lahiru Thirimanne (113th).

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, 39, is Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked bowler in fifth place.

He is followed by Dilruwan Perera (25th), Suranga Lakmal (36th), Lakshan Sandakan (69th), Angelo Mathews (81st) and Lahiru Gamage (108th).