Edgbaston starrer helps Sam Curran move up in rankings
Curran returned 4/74 and 1/18 to help bowl India out for 274 and 162 as England won the opening Test of the five-match series by 31 runs. It meant the left-arm pacer jumped 49 places, and is now at No.62 on the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for Bowlers.
Not only did Curran wreak havoc with the ball, he also made an invaluable contribution with the willow – his crucial 65-ball 63 in England's second innings helped rescue his side from 87/7 and post India a target of 194, which looked unlikely at one stage.
"It's like having two Ben Stokes's!"
— ICC (@ICC) August 4, 2018
Just how good is 20-year-old Sam Curran? According to his Test captain Joe Root, very good indeed...#ENGvIND REACTION 👇https://t.co/9cmhAxITTi pic.twitter.com/hQA6vPM43k
His exploits with the bat helped him climb 80 places in the rankings for batsmen – he is now at No.72.
His all-round display also meant Curran, just two Test matches old, made a jump of 58 places in the rankings for all-rounders, in which he is now ranked 37th.
Elsewhere, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma, who both put in strong performances with the ball in the game, have retained their positions at No.5 and No.26 respectively.
The off-spinner picked up eight wickets in the Test, and ensured India broke through at crucial stages. Sharma was also among the wickets, and claimed his eighth five-wicket haul in England's second innings.
Ben Stokes, who broke India's spine in the fourth innings with 4/40, has made his way up the bowlers' rankings by four places – the 27-year-old is now ranked 27th on the list.