Gambhir returns to top spot in Test rankings

Dubai, Nov 29 (IANS) Gautam Gambhir's century in the Kanpur Test against Sri Lanka elevated him to the top spot in International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings.

Gambhir's eighth Test century, fourth in successive matches, helped India record an innings and 144 runs victory in the second Test and go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

The opener, who won the ICC Test Player of Year award in October, scored 167 and featured in a 233-run first wicket stand with Virender Sehwag who has climbed four places to be at 19th place.

Gambhir first surged to the top of the batting list in July but lost his position a month later to Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara. The left-hander had entered the Test series in second place and had dropped to third after the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Gambhir's leap has pushed the Sri Lanka duo of Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangkkara into second and third positions, respectively.

Rahul Dravid, who struck his career's 28th century in Kanpur, jumped three places to 18th.
West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul's failure in the Brisbane Test has dropped him four places to eighth.

In the bowlers' charts, Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has dropped to third position. The 37-year-old had slipped from the top of the ladder for the first time in three years in July and now trails number one-ranked Dale Steyn of South Africa by 130 points.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has moved to the second spot. The 28-year-old Queenslander took 4-110 in the Brisbane Test.

Also returning to the ranking table are fast bowlers Shane Bond of New Zealand and Pakistan's Mohammad Asif. Bond is back in seventh position after match figures of 8-153 in the first Test against Pakistan. Asif has come back in the charts at ninth place after recording figures of 8-151 in the same Test.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who was player of the match in Kanpur, has also returned to the rankings in 30th position following his impressive match haul of 6-122 against Sri Lanka.

Top-10 rankings
Batsmen
1 Gautam Gambhir      (India)  886
2 Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka) 869
3 Kumar Sangakkara   (Sri Lanka)  822 
4 Mohammad Yousuf  (Pakistan)  800
5 Michael Clarke   (Australia) 799
6 Younus Khan      (Pakistan) 793
7 Graeme Smith     (South Africa)  782
8 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) 780
9 Ricky Ponting    (Australia) 776  
10 Jacques Kallis  (South Africa) 755

Bowlers
1 Dale Steyn  (South Africa) 844
2 Mitchell Johnson  Australia) 778
3 Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) 767
4 Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) 741
5 Harbhajan Singh (India)  704
6 Stuart Clark  (Australia)  703
7 Shane Bond  (New Zealand)  690
8 Paul Harris (South Africa) 669
9 Mohammad Asif  (Pakistan) 668
10 James Anderson  (England) 643