Root and Henry Back on Top, Gill Climbs in ODI Rankings

England suffered a heavy 253-run defeat to touring New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval. With the victory, New Zealand leveled the series 1-1. Following the conclusion of the Oval Test, significant changes have taken place in the latest ICC player rankings. England star Joe Root has returned to the top of the Test batting rankings, while New Zealand pacer Matt Henry has moved to the summit of the Test bowling rankings jointly with Jasprit Bumrah.

Root scored 46 and 77 in the two innings of the Oval Test, allowing him to overtake teammate Harry Brook and Australia’s Travis Head to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Test batting rankings. This marks the 12th time in Root’s career that he has reached the top position. Interestingly, over the past 18 months, the No. 1 ranking has changed hands six times between Yorkshire teammates Root and Harry Brook.

Meanwhile, Matt Henry has been rewarded for his match-winning performance of 11 wickets for 109 runs at The Oval. The New Zealand pacer now shares the No. 1 position in the Test bowling rankings with India’s Jasprit Bumrah, with both bowlers holding 870 rating points. Prior to this, Bumrah had held the top spot outright since November 2024 after surpassing Kagiso Rabada.

Henry’s 870 rating points represent a remarkable achievement in New Zealand cricket history. Among Kiwi bowlers, it is the second-highest rating ever, behind only pace legend Richard Hadlee’s 909 points.

Overall, among both batters and bowlers in New Zealand cricket history, only Richard Hadlee and batter Kane Williamson, who reached 919 rating points, have achieved higher ratings than Henry.

Among other notable movements in the Test rankings, New Zealand centurion Glenn Phillips has climbed eight places to 31st, while Henry Nicholls has jumped 13 spots to 40th. Rachin Ravindra has also re-entered the top 10 Test batting rankings. In the bowling rankings, England’s Jofra Archer has moved up six places to 50th, while Jacob Bethell has surged 29 spots to 85th.

There have also been major changes in the ODI rankings. India completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep over Afghanistan at home, and captain Shubman Gill was named Player of the Series after scoring 238 runs. As a result, Gill has climbed three places to second in the ODI batting rankings.

Among other Indian batters, left-handers Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal have made significant gains. Kishan has risen 21 places to 43rd, while Jaiswal has jumped an impressive 84 spots to 71st. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has also improved by four places and now sits at 52nd.

India’s bowlers have also enjoyed substantial gains in the ODI rankings. After taking a five-wicket haul in the final match of the Afghanistan series, pacer M. Prasidh Krishna has surged from 92nd to joint 58th in the bowling rankings. Fellow fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, who claimed five wickets in the series, has climbed 16 places to 22nd. Meanwhile, Afghanistan off-spinner A.M. Ghazanfar has moved up three places to 71st.