In particular, Shubman Gill sees the loss of position for Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey work in his favour, despite having missed three of the four innings in South Africa’s recent tour of India. With Carey dropping four positions and out of the top 10, Gill climbs right back up, once again entering the top 10 of the rankings after a brief period earlier this year. He remains the second-highest ranked Indian batter, behind Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The big riser at the top of the pile is Harry Brook, whose dogged and determined efforts to get runs on the board worked in his favour on a tricky surface at the MCG. As a result, he leapfrogs over three members of the top five, and ends the year behind only his countryman Joe Root. Steven Smith hasn’t enjoyed the best form, and slips to fifth.

Jadeja and Bumrah retain top spot in rankings

In the bowling and all-rounder rankings, it is still Indian players who rule to roost. Jasprit Bumrah sits atop the bowlers, but is facing high heat from Mitchell Starc. The Aussie pacer’s incredible wicket-taking series has seen him rise to second, where he is joined tied on 843 points by Pakistan spinner Noman Ali.

Bumrah will also have to wait for his chance with the red ball yet again, and will feel the threat of players behind him gradually catching up over that period. It might be a similar story for Ravindra Jadeja, who currently leads the all-rounder rankings in a year his batting has gone from strength to strength.

He has a sizable lead over Marco Jansen in second place, while England captain Ben Stokes comes in in third. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are tied in 11th place, just outside the world’s top 10.

With the fifth and final Ashes Test coming up as the New Year’s Test in Sydney, plenty of changes could be just around the corner next week as 2026 begins in the Test calendar.