Jasprit Bumrah slips from top spot in ICC Test bowlers’ rankings

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pace ace who had maintained his spot as the No. 1-ranked Test bowler for most of the last two years, was dethroned by Australian veteran Mitchell Starc when the ICC rankings were released on Wednesday, 26 August. It was the first time the 36-year-old Starc climbed to the coveted spot — thanks to his 10-wicket haul in the second Test against Bangladesh at Mackay.

Now 32, Bumrah has spent 697 days altogether at the top of the rankings for his supremacy in red-ball cricket — the highest among Indian bowlers and 14th in the all-time list. He had a sensational run in 2024, when a haul of 71 wickets in 13 Tests, at an average of 14.92, was instrumental in him being adjudged ICC Cricketer of the Year last year.

However, his absence from India’s ongoing ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka while undergoing rehabilitation from injury, coupled with Starc’s Player of the Series heroics against Bangladesh, has seen a significant change at the top of the rankings. A photo released by Indian pace bowler Harshit Rana on his Instagram on Wednesday shows the trio of Rana, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya hitting the gym at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence, and they are expected to return soon.

Starc’s 10 wickets proved enough to catapult the 36-year-old up two places, past Bumrah and New Zealand pacer Matt Henry, and into the prized position for the very first time in his career.

The Australian has been inside the top 10 for much of his 15-year Test career and recently entered the top three on the back of some strong efforts against England in the Ashes series towards the end of last year. While Bumrah dropped to second and Henry to third, Starc’s teammate Pat Cummins jumped one place to fourth on the list for Test bowlers.

The top of the Test batters’ rankings remains the same, with England duo Harry Brook (first) and Joe Root (second) holding a slender advantage over Australia pair Steve Smith (third) and Travis Head (fourth). The big mover inside the top 10 is Rishabh Pant, with the dashing Indian keeper-batter gaining six spots to rise to equal seventh following his quickfire half-century in the second innings of his side’s win in Galle.

It’s also status quo among Test all-rounders, as veteran Ravindra Jadeja maintained his place in the No. 1 spot, while Cummins (up one spot to seventh), Cameron Green (up one place to equal 17th) and Ollie Robinson (up five rungs to 23rd) all made small gains.