The International Cricket Council (ICC) has come up with brand new ICC Test rankings. It has been largely affected by what is going on in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where England took on a 2-1 lead after a classic Lord’s Test. The Ben Stokes-led team pulled off a superb win, which initially rode on the back of Joe Root, who hit his 37th Test hundred.
Due to his great ton and a 40 in the second innings, Root has overtaken his teammate Harry Brook as the leading Test batter in terms of ICC rankings. With 888 points, Root leads the chart, while Kane Williamson now holds the second spot (867), followed by Brook (862). Brook was made the numero uno batter only a week ago. However, he failed at Lord’s, scoring 11 and 23, thus going down in the rankings.
Root shines, but Gill-Pant go down
Joe Root’s latest ascent to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test batting rankings may feel familiar, but it marks a huge milestone: at 34, he becomes the oldest batter in a decade to top the list, a feat last achieved by Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in 2014. As if he didn’t break enough records in the match itself. He went past the great Rahul Dravid in terms of most Test centuries and also leapfrogged him with most catches as an outfielder in Test history!
But while Root rises, India’s captain and vice-captain—Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant—have seen sharp declines in their rankings. Gill, who was riding high after a double century and a hundred at Edgbaston, endured a forgettable outing at Lord’s, scoring just 16 and 6.
He dropped three-place, going from sixth to ninth. Rishabh Pant, too, finds himself down to eighth after what could have been a game-defining innings in the first innings. His 74 looked poised to reach triple figures before a misjudged run saw him sacrifice his wicket in a moment of selflessness for KL Rahul, who was approaching a hundred. In the second innings, Pant fell to an unplayable delivery from Jofra Archer. Elsewhere, England’s Ben Stokes, the Player of the Match at Lord’s, gained two spots among batters and one among bowlers thanks to his all-round brilliance.
Top 10 ICC Test Batting Rankings
| Rank | Team | Player | Rating | Best | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (+1) | England | Joe Root | 888 | 932 | 2024 |
| 2 (+1) | New Zealand | Kane Williamson | 867 | 919 | 2021 |
| 3 (-2) | England | Harry Brook | 862 | 898 | 2024 |
| 4 (+1) | Australia | Steve Smith | 816 | 947 | 2018 |
| 5 (-1) | India | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 801 | 858 | 2025 |
| 6 (+1) | South Africa | Temba Bavuma | 790 | 806 | 2025 |
| 7 (+2) | Sri Lanka | Kamindu Mendis | 781 | 784 | 2025 |
| 8 (-1) | India | Rishabh Pant | 779 | 801 | 2025 |
| 9 (-3) | India | Shubman Gill | 765 | 807 | 2025 |
| 10 | England | Jamie Smith | 752 | 753 | 2025 |
