Flashback: The only Indian bowler to become No. 1 in ICC Test and ODI rankings

ICC rankings have been used as a parameter to judge the performance of a player for many years. The three categories of rankings have been divided into the batsman, bowler and all-rounder rankings. Accordingly for all the three formats i.e. Tests, ODIs and T20Is, these rankings are updated by the ICC. There have been very few players who have been at the top of the rankings in more than one format.

Do you know who is the only Indian bowler to be Number 1 in both ICC Test and ODI rankings? That player is Indian All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who has been in great form in recent years. He first became the number 1 bowler in ODIs back in August 2013. At that time, he was the fourth Indian after Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh and Anil Kumble to top the ODI charts in the bowling department. His performances against Zimbabwe and Champions Trophy 2012 helped him attain the top spot.

At that same time, Jadeja also became the number 2 All Rounder in ICC ODI rankings. Later in 2017, Jadeja claimed the number 1 spot in ICC Test rankings among the bowlers. He was at the joint-top spot along with Ravichandran Ashwin for some period of time, and later achieved an undisputed ranking of number 1. With this, he became the first Indian to become the number 1 bowler in both ICC Test and ODI rankings.

Jadeja also ruled the all-rounder’s chart for a significant amount of time in ICC Test rankings. In fact, since 2016, he has been among the top 3 all-rounders in ICC Test rankings. This consistency makes him one of the greatest match-winners for India in International cricket.

Overall, Jadeja has scored 4582 runs and picked up 447 wickets in 269 matches in International cricket. He is the only player apart from Kapil Dev to score more than 4000 runs as well as pick 400+ wickets in International cricket for India.