Joe Root Surges to No. 2 in ICC Test Batting Rankings

Joe Root has ascended to the No. 2 spot in the ICC Test batting rankings, trailing only New Zealand's Kane Williamson. This surge follows Steven Smith's recent dip in form, which saw him fall below 800 points for the first time since 2014.

Root's resurgence, marked by a century against India in Ranchi last month, has been the primary beneficiary of Smith's decline. Since assuming the role of Australia's Test opener, Smith has struggled, posting scores of 31 and 0 in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington.

Smith's teammate Marnus Labuschagne, another former No. 1-ranked batter, has also fallen out of the top ten for the first time since December 2019. His meager total of three runs in the same match has contributed to his slide. Travis Head, who achieved a career-best ranking of No. 2 during last year's Ashes, has also slipped to No. 12 after twin scores of 1 and 29.

Head's decline has paved the way for three Indian batters to rise in the rankings. Yashaswi Jaiswal has broken into the top ten for the first time, amassing 665 runs in the ongoing series against England. Rohit Sharma follows closely at No. 11, while Virat Kohli climbs one place to No. 8 despite missing the series due to the recent birth of his child.

Cameron Green has been the most significant climber in the batting rankings this week. His match-winning 174 not out in Australia's first innings at Wellington has propelled him 22 places to 23rd position, a career-best tally of 661 points.

Williamson, with 870 points, maintains a comfortable lead over Root (799) at the top of the rankings. His remarkable run of seven centuries in his last eight Tests has solidified his dominance.

On the bowling front, Nathan Lyon's 10-wicket match haul against New Zealand has elevated him two places to No. 6 in the rankings, just two points shy of his career-best tally at Edgbaston last year. Glenn Phillips, New Zealand's offspinning allrounder, has made significant gains on both the batting and bowling fronts, while Matt Henry has climbed into the top 20 for the first time after taking eight wickets in the match.

Ireland's historic Test victory against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi has also impacted the rankings. Mark Adair's eight wickets in the match have moved him up 30 slots to 69th position on the bowling charts, while Andy Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Paul Stirling, and Andy McBrine have all moved into the top 100 in the batting rankings. Hashmatullah Shahidi has gained five places to reach 81st position among the batters, while Naveed Zadran has moved up 32 places to 79th among the bowlers.

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