Ross Taylor’s mammoth 290 in the WACA Test propels him to the top-10
Johnson signs off in ninth position; Jadeja rises to a career-high 13th
Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Australia's David Warner have No 1-ranked AB de Villiers firmly within their sights after achieving career-best rankings in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings released on Wednesday.
Following the conclusion of the Perth Test, Williamson climbed three places to join Australia captain Steven Smith in second spot following scores of 166 and 32 not out, while Warner's 253 and 24 lifted him three places to fifth.
The top five batsmen, four of whom are likely to feature in the third Tests in Nagpur and Adelaide later this month, are now separated by just 19 points, with Smith and Williamson trailing de Villiers by six points and Warner another 13 points behind.
This means that the battle for the coveted No 1 position, post the conclusion of the two series, remains tight. There will be a further reshuffle at the top of the order depending on how these batsmen perform.
Ross Taylor, who won the player of the match award at the WACA, returned to the top 10 for the first time in 12 months. The New Zealander scored 290 and 36 not out, for which he is rewarded with a jump of seven places that put him at No 10.
In the bowling chart, India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja achieved a career-best ranking.
He returned figures of 16-2-50-4 in the rain-affected second Test against South Africa at Bengaluru, which lifted him eight places to 13th.
He is now the third Indian bowler to feature inside the top 20 after Ravichandran Ashwin (No 5) and Ishant Sharma (20).
South Africa's Dale Steyn retained his No 1 position but dropped from the 900-point mark for the first time since December 2013 after missing the Bengaluru Test.
He is now on 893 points, still 47 clear of his nearest rival James Anderson of England.
