R Ashwin retains No 1 spot, Bumrah moves to 4th in ICC Test rankings
Dubai, Jan 31: Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin maintained the top spot, while compatriot Jasprit Bumrah jumped to fourth in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings released on Wednesday.
Ashwin, who had grabbed a match haul of six wickets in India's 28-run loss in the opening Test against England, is on 853 rating points, while pacer Bumrah, who also claimed half a dozen wickets, rose a rung to fourth.
The third Indian in the top 10 in the bowling charts is left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja at number six.
Jadeja also enjoys a healthy buffer at the head of the Test all-rounder rankings.
However, Joe Root, who has moved up to fourth place, might challenge him soon if the Englland veteran maintains his good show with the ball.
While Root is primarily known for his batting skills, the 33-year-old showcased his handy spin by taking five wickets in the Hyderabad Test. He even opened the bowling for England in the second innings.
This effort has seen Root rise to a new career-high rating on the list for Test all-rounders and seen the evergreen England star jump one place to fourth.
Root is behind Ashwin and Shakib-Al-Hasan while Axar Patel has dropped a spot to sixth.
Virat Kohli has moved to sixth and is the lone Indian among the top 10 batters while Ollie Pope, who stunned India with a magnificent 196 in the second innings, jumped a mammoth 20 places to 15th.
Pope's England teammate Ben Duckett also improved his ranking, gaining five places to 22nd after knocks of 35 and 47 against India.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja gained two places to eighth following a half-century in the opening innings of the second Test against the West Indies at the Gabba.
After their impressive performance against Australia, three West Indies quicks also improved their rankings.
Kemar Roach moved up two places to 17th, Alzarri Joseph climbed four spots to 33rd, and Shamar Joseph, who was the Player-of-the-Match at the Gabba, rose a significant 42 places to reach the 50th position in the rankings.
Big movers on the latest ICC Men's Test Player Rankings following an epic first #WTC25 contest between India and England 😯
— ICC (@ICC) January 31, 2024
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
