Hazlewood drops despite career best

Indian tweaker Ravindra Jadeja has drawn level with spin-bowling partner Ravichandran Ashwin at the top of the International Cricket Council's Test bowling rankings, meaning Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood has dropped one spot despite claiming career-best figures in Bengaluru.

Jadeja, Ashwin and Hazlewood, the top-three ranked bowlers in the world heading into the second Test, all claimed six-wicket hauls at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to extend their lead at the top of the rankings.

But despite Hazlewood's career-best haul of 6-67 in the second innings, the best performance by an Aussie quick in India since 1979, the right-armer has dropped from equal-second to third in the latest rankings.

His fall is due to the rise of Jadeja from equal-second to equal-first after he took seven wickets for the match, including 6-63 in the first innings, drawing him level with Ashwin (8-125 in Bengaluru) on 892 rankings points.

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Hazlewood's haul was enough to see him move up to a career-high of 863 rankings points, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with Jadeja.

The left-armer was relatively under-bowled compared to Ashwin in the second Test, sending down just 29.4 overs for the match compared to Ashwin's total of 61.4 overs.

Nathan Lyon, who claimed 8-50 on the opening day, moved up two spots to 16th while Steve O'Keefe (up one spot to 28th) and Umesh Yadav (up one spot to 29th) also gained ground.

Virat Kohli's lean series to date has seen him drop a spot to third on the latest batting rankings, while Steve Smith remains well out in front, 88 points clear of England's Joe Root, who is second.

Smith has now been on top for 77 consecutive Tests (played by all nations around the world), moving ahead of Ricky Ponting's mark of 76 Tests to be third among Australian batsmen in the history of the rankings. Only Steve Waugh (94) and Don Bradman (93) have been at the top of the charts for longer than Smith.

Matt Renshaw (up six places to 28), Shaun Marsh (up five places to 37th), Lokesh Rahul (up 23 places to 23rd), Cheteshwar Pujara (up five places to sixth) and Ajinkya Rahane (up two places to 15th) also gained ground after impressing in the second Test.

ICC TEST BATTING RANKINGS

1) Steve Smith (Aus) - 936 points

2) Joe Root (Eng) - 848

3) Virat Kohli (Ind) - 847

4) Kane Williamson (NZ) - 823

5) David Warner (Aus) - 794

6) Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind) - 793

7) Hashim Amla (SA) - 787

8) Azhar Ali (Pak) - 779

9) Younis Khan (Pak) - 779

10) Quinton de Kock - 760

ICC TEST BOWLING RANKINGS

=1) Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) - 892 points

=1) Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) - 892

3) Josh Hazlewood (Aus) - 863

4) Rangana Herath (SL) - 827

5) Kagiso Rabada (SA) - 821

6) Dale Steyn (SA) - 819

7) Jimmy Anderson (Eng) - 810

8) Stuart Broad (Eng) - 803

9) Vernon Philander (SA) - 798

=10) Mitchell Starc (Aus) - 757

=10) Neil Wagner (NZ) - 757