Rahul rises in Test rankings after Centurion show

India opener KL Rahul made a leap of 18 slots, after his Player-of-the-Match effort that helped India defeat South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test, to reach No. 31 among batters in the latest ICC Test rankings.

The victory at Centurion gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, which is part of the World Test Championship.

Rahul, whose best in the longest format is a No. 8 ranking, attained in November 2017, struck 123 in the first innings and was associated in an important 117-run opening partnership with Mayank Agrawal (60) as India became the first Asian team to win a Test at the venue.

Agarwal gained a place for his contribution, while Ajinkya Rahane rose two places to 25th in the latest update, carried out on Wednesdays, and includes all matches completed by Tuesday each week.

Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are other Indians to move up.

Bumrah was up three slots to ninth after finishing with five wickets in the match while Shami’s eight wickets, including a five-for in the first innings, saw him rise two places to 17th.

For South Africa, captain and opener Dean Elgar progressed two spots to 14th after a fighting 77 in the second innings, while Temba Bavuma was up 16 places to 39th for his scores of 52 and 35 not out.

Kagiso Rabada, who grabbed seven scalps, advanced a place to sixth while fellow-fast bowler Lungi Ngidi gained 16 slots and is 30th on the list after finishing with eight wickets in the match.

Debutant left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen entered the rankings in 97th position.

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