2 minutes Root notched an undefeated 122 in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi, marking a return to form after amassing a mere 77 runs in his initial six innings of the five-match series.
England's Joe Root has ascended back into the top three of the ICC Test batting rankings and has also entered the top four of the all-rounder standings.
Root notched an undefeated 122 in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi, marking a return to form after amassing a mere 77 runs in his initial six innings of the five-match series.
The erstwhile England skipper has climbed two spots to third in the most recent update of the batting rankings, surpassing New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Pakistan's Babar Azam.
Root is now only surpassed by New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Australia's Steve Smith.
The 33-year-old, who has claimed eight wickets in the first four Tests against India with his off-spin, is only outstripped by India's Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan in the all-rounder rankings.
Root has secured eight wickets in the series against India so far. England captain Ben Stokes has fallen to seventh in the rankings, having not bowled since July, but is recovering more rapidly than anticipated following knee surgery towards the end of last year.
Stokes mentioned that there was a possibility he might bowl in the fourth Test but chose not to during England's five-wicket loss, a result that handed India an insurmountable 3-1 series lead with one match remaining.
India's spinner Ashwin's impressive five-wicket haul in the fourth Test's second innings has narrowed the gap to his teammate Jasprit Bumrah at the pinnacle of the bowling rankings to just 21 points, with Bumrah leading at 867 and Ashwin closely following at 846.
Bumrah was given a rest during the fourth Test, a match that contributed to India's 17th consecutive series victory on home soil, but he might make a comeback for the concluding match in Dharamshala starting on Thursday, 7th March.
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