In the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen, India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant made a huge stride as he entered top 20 for the first time in his career. Before the Test series against Australia, Pant was ranked at 59th place. And now the young wicketkeeper-batsman finds himself at the 17th spot.

The 21-spot gain means Pant now holds the joint-highest ranking by a specialist India wicketkeeper along with Farokh Engineer, who achieved the same ranking in January 1973. Meanwhile, Pant’s aggregate of 673 rating points are the highest by an India wicketkeeper, with Dhoni having the next highest aggregate of 662 points and Engineer 619 points. Dhoni’s highest Test ranking was 19th as per a media release by ICC. Latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsman: Cheteshwar Pujara Moves Up to Third Spot, Rishabh Pant Jumps 21 Places

Pant had a good series against Australia as he scored 350 runs besides taking 20 catches. Interestingly, the wicketkeeper was the second highest run-getter in the series with Cheteshwar Pujara at one and Virat Kohli at three.

Pant has now played nine Tests for India and has accumulated 696 runs with two centuries and as many as half-centuries. The left-hander scored unbeaten 159 at Sydney and became the first India wicketkeeper to score a century in Tests in Australia. His maiden century came in England last year. Kedar Jadhav Shares Selfies With Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni Ahead of India vs Australia ODI Series 2019: View Pictures

Given his performance in the recently concluded series, Pant has almost cemented his place in the Indian Test squad. He has featured in three ODIs and ten T20Is.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 08, 2019 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).