[1]New Delhi, July 23: India might have slumped to an emphatic defeat in the first Test against compatiots Sri Lanka at Galle on Thursday but opener Virender Sehwag held on to the top spot, while Sachin Tendulkar gained a place to be seventh in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen issued on Friday.
Sehwag, who scored 109 and 31 in the Test which India lost by 10 wickets, has opened up a 14-point gap over second-placed Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who spent a record 214 Tests and 1,711 days at the number one position, retired from Test cricket at third place in the bowling chart.
The 38-year-old, who ended up with 800 wickets from 133 Tests, bowed out in the third position behind Dale Steyn of South Africa and Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif after climbing two spots in the latest rankings following figures of 5/63 and 3/128 in Galle.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/song-sehwag-retains-no-240710jpg-835