<
>

Cook surges to third spot in Test ratings

Alastair Cook joins the victorious team huddle AFP

Alastair Cook's marathon 294, that helped England dethrone India from the No. 1 spot in Tests, has catapulted him to a career-best third spot in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen. Cook, who had endured poor form in the first two Tests, came into his own at Edgbaston to pick up 92 points and move to a rating of 836, just two shy of Kumar Sangakkara at No. 2. Jacques Kallis (883) stayed firmly on top of the table, while Sachin Tendulkar (808), still looking for his 100th international century, was pushed to fourth.

Cook joined his colleagues Jonathan Trott (5th) and Ian Bell (7th) in the top ten, while Kevin Pietersen's 63 at Edgbaston pushed him up two spots to 13th. Andrew Strauss (34th) and Eoin Morgan (52nd) also moved up thanks to their contributions to the win.

It was a forgettable match for India's batsmen, who were unable to reach 250 in either innings at Edgbaston, continuing their woeful returns as a team through the series. Virender Sehwag, who bagged a king pair after making a much-hyped return to the side, dropped seven places to 17th, while VVS Laxman slipped out of the top ten, to 12th. Rahul Dravid (14th), who hit centuries in the first two Tests of the series, also suffered a demotion by three spots, and Gautam Gambhir fell to 30th. MS Dhoni was the only Indian batsman to move up, with his twin 70s taking him to 36th.

England's bowlers also prospered, with James Anderson reaching a career-high rating of 803, cementing his No. 2 spot, separating the South African new-ball pair - Dale Steyn (899) and Morne Morkel (751). Tim Bresnan moved up nine places to the 16th spot, while Stuart Broad surged to joint fifth alongside Graeme Swann, who has had a quiet series. Broad's impressive showing in the series also pitchforked him to second in the allrounders list, three points ahead of Daniel Vettori (364). Kallis remained on top of that list as well, with 451 points.

Click here for the full table.