Ravichandran Ashwin's spectacular display in the third Test match between India and South Africa in Nagpur has borne immense fruit. The Indian off-spinner has now reached the second spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test bowlers.
The 29-year-old lanky Chennai spinner, also the fastest Indian bowler to the 50-wicket, 100-wicket and 150-wicket marks in Test cricket, displayed the best of his bowling acumen as he bagged 12 wickets in the Nagpur Test.
Ashwin jumped three places to make it to the second spot; South Africa's Dale Steyn, who didn't feature in the third test, still continues to lead the standings for Test bowlers.
The latest ICC rankings released on Monday also feature Ashwin's teammate Ravindra Jadeja in the 11th spot; the left-arm orthodox spinner moved a position up after picking up four wickets in the Nagpur Test.
Ashwin also features in the second position in the ICC rankings for all-rounders, with Bangladesh's Shakib Al-Hasan on top.
Virat Kohli's men won the match against the Proteas by a 124-run margin in just Day 3 of the test match, and also snagged the four-match Test series in the process. The Men in Blue had won the first Test in Mohali by 108 runs, and the second match was washed out in Bengaluru.
The fourth and the final Test match is scheduled to get under way from 3 December in Delhi.