V.V.S. Laxman and Zaheer Khan achieved their career-best International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after India’s emphatic 87-run victory against South Africa in the second Test at Durban.
Laxman’s match-winning 96 in the second innings took him to the ninth spot while paceman Zaheer Khan’s total of six wickets for 93 took him three places up for the fourth spot.
It is for the first time that Laxman has entered the top-10 rankings.
Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are the other two Indians in the top-10 batting list at the fourth and second place, respectively. Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara holds the top spot and England’s Jonathan Trot, who smashed a match-winning century at Melbourne, is in third place.
Besides Zaheer, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who also took six wickets in the Durban Test, has moved up two spots to be at the eighth place in the bowling rankings. South African speedster Dale Steyn is top Test bowler followed by England spinner Graeme Swann. South African pacer Morne Morkel is at the third place.
India’s S. Sreesanth also jumped six places to 27th position.