Sangakkara is the top ranked batsman by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:

G Gambhir, KC Sangakkara

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DateLine: 25th July 2009

 

Gautam Gambhir's stay at the top of the ICC rankings for Test batsmen lasted just 10 days as Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara grabbed the coveted position from the Indian opener. Gambhir had replaced Pakistani run-machine Mohammad Yousuf as the number one Test batsmen on July 15 but Sangakkara's match-saving knock of 130 in the third Test against Pakistan propelled him to the top.

 

The 31-year-old Sri Lankan wicket-keeper gained two places to secure the number one position with 862 points while Gambhir dropped to the second place with 847 points. Apart from Gambhir, no other Indian finds a place in the top-10 with Sachin Tendulkar, who dropped a place to 15th, being the next highest ranked Indian batsman.

 

Among Indian bowlers, Harbhajan Singh has dropped a spot to 6th while Zaheer Khan gained one rung to be 9th. South African Dale Steyn leads the bowlers chart, followed by Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan and Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson.

 

Meanwhile, there was no change in the top-five of the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with South African Jacques Kallis still leading the pack, followed by Johnson and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.