Devdutt Padikkal's twin tons earn ICC rankings rise, Sonal Dinusha goes even bigger with stunning 29-place jump

Devdutt Padikkal climbed five spots after his twin tons in Sri Lanka, while Sonal Dinusha stole the show with a stunning 29-place ICC rankings surge.

Devdutt Padikkal’s impressive return to India’s Test set-up has been reflected in the latest ICC rankings, with the left-hander climbing five places to No. 54 among Test batters following his prolific tour of Sri Lanka.

Devdutt Padikkal and Sonal Dinsuha's performances paid off with their rise in the recent ICC rankings. (ANI)

Padikkal was one of the most eye-catching Indian movers in the rankings update released by the ICC on Wednesday. The 26-year-old finished the two-Test series against Sri Lanka with 328 runs at an average of 109.33, including centuries in both Galle and Colombo, as India secured a 1-0 series victory. His Colombo hundred was particularly significant. Padikkal followed his century in the opening Test by making 117 in the second, helping India reach 300/5 at the end of the opening day before they eventually posted 503/9. Although Sri Lanka fought through the follow-on to force a draw, Padikkal emerged as one of India’s biggest positives from the tour.

Captain Shubman Gill also singled out Padikkal after the series, praising his ability to convert starts into substantial scores. “We speak about once a batter is set, he should make the most of it. And Devdutt showed that. The way he batted in the series was a treat to watch. It truly tells the mindset of a player,” Gill had said after the Colombo Test.

Sonal Dinusha makes massive rankings leap

Padikkal was not the only batter from the India-Sri Lanka series to make substantial progress. Sri Lanka youngster Sonal Dinusha produced one of the biggest jumps of the week, climbing 29 places to No. 25 following his remarkable resistance against India. Dinusha played a central role in Sri Lanka salvaging the Colombo Test, scoring 103 in the first innings and an unbeaten 133 in the second as the hosts denied India a series sweep.

Kamindu Mendis also moved two places to No. 10 among Test batters after his half-century in the second innings in Colombo. At the top, Harry Brook retained the No. 1 Test batting position despite scores of only 15 and 34 in England’s second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s. Steve Smith moved into second place, with Joe Root slipping to third. Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel was another major gainer, jumping 15 places to No. 18.

The biggest movement among the bowlers came from England pacer Ollie Robinson. His eight wickets at Lord’s earned him a six-place jump to fifth, taking him back into the Test bowling top five for the first time since July 2023. Mitchell Starc remains the No. 1 Test bowler after having overtaken Jasprit Bumrah last month. Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando climbed four positions to 11th following his four wickets against India in Colombo, while Josh Tongue rose four places to joint 13th. Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas gained 10 positions to move to joint 15th.

There was movement in the T20I rankings as well, with South Africa’s Dewald Brevis climbing six positions to fourth among batters after scores of 75, 75 not out and 41 in the tri-series in Namibia. India continue to have two players inside the top three, with Ishan Kishan holding the No. 1 position and Abhishek Sharma placed third, behind Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan. Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 T20I bowler, while Brad Evans and Kwena Maphaka climbed to 26th and 54th, respectively.