Joe Root has regained the top position in the ICC Test batting rankings, shortly after briefly losing it to his teammate Harry Brook. Root’s rise back to the top followed a stellar display at Lord’s, where he scored a commanding 104 runs in the first innings and followed it with a steady 40 in the second. His performance was key to England’s seven-wicket victory over India, securing a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-Test series.

The updated rankings show Root leading with 888 points, pushing Brook down to second place with 862. Now 34, Root is the oldest batter to top the Test rankings since Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, who did so at 37 in 2014. This achievement marks Root’s eighth tenure as the No.1 batter, underlining his sustained excellence and hunger for runs over the years.

Root’s century at Lord’s was more than just a match-winning effort as it was also a landmark moment. His 37th Test hundred moved him past Rahul Dravid to fifth place on the all-time list of most Test centuries. Additionally, he became only the fourth player in history to score over 8,000 runs exclusively while batting at No.4, joining legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahela Jayawardene, and Jacques Kallis.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Australia’s Steve Smith climbed to fourth place after a resilient innings of 48 against the West Indies. Meanwhile, all-rounder Cameron Green climbed 16 places to 29th after scoring 46 and 42 in a low-scoring match third Test.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant slipped down one spot to fifth and eighth, while captain Shubman Gill dropped three places to ninth after a below-par performance at Lord’s.