Riding on his stupendous performance in the ongoing home series against South Africa, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Monday, rose to a career-high second in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings for bowlers even as A B de Villiers lost his top spot in the batsmen's standings.
Ashwin claimed 12 for 98 in the third Test in Nagpur to spin his side to a 124-run victory and India could move as high as second place in the ICC Test Championship if they win the fourth Test, which starts on Friday.
Ashwin's ascent from fifth means James Anderson and Yasir Shah drop to joint-third on 846 points.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood, who produced man of the match figures of nine for 136 in the inaugural day-night Test, soared 10 places to 10th.
Australia captain Steven Smith and England's Joe Root regained joint pole position in the rankings for Test batsmen after de Villiers has dropped two places to third.
The South Africa middle-order batsman now trails the duo by nine points, but a strong showing in New Delhi could see him regain top billing.
Murali Vijay is the top ranked India batsman in 12th position, while his captain Virat Kohli moved up a place to 16th.
If India wins the fourth and final Test in New Delhi, they will move into second place on 110 points.
In that scenario, the Proteas' advantage at the top would be cut to just four points, with Australia dropping to third and Pakistan fourth.
