Marco Jansen Ends Jadeja’s Reign as No.1 Test All-Rounder
After more than four years, Ravindra Jadeja has lost the top spot. South Africa’s Marco Jansen now leads the Test all-rounder and Test bowler rankings after a stunning Gqeberha Test.
Four years is a long time at the top of anything. In cricket’s most unforgiving format, it’s practically an era. On October 28, that era ended.
Marco Jansen is now the world’s No.1 Test all-rounder, according to the latest ICC Men’s Player Rankings. The South African lifted himself past Ravindra Jadeja, who had held the position for more than four years. And he didn’t stop there. Jansen also overtook Australia’s Mitchell Starc to become the No.1 Test bowler. Rarely does one match move a player this far, this fast.
Why does this ranking change matter now?
It matters because the all-rounder crown has barely moved in years. Jadeja had held the No.1 all-rounder spot since early 2022, and the Test all-rounder list has often looked like a slow-moving queue. Few players do both jobs well enough to threaten him.
Jansen did, and he did it on the biggest stage available. The ICC rankings are a rating-points system that rewards performances against quality opposition, and a World Test Championship series against Australia carries serious weight. That’s why one Test could shake up the table.
How did Jansen overtake Jadeja?
He did it with bat and ball in the same match. In the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha, Jansen scored 85 runs and took a match-turning five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings. South Africa won, which levelled the three-match series at 1-1.
The numbers tell the rest. Jansen climbed one place to the top of the all-rounder list with 451 rating points, the first time he has held that position. He’s 26, so there’s plenty of cricket ahead of him.
The ICC Test all-rounder ranking is a combined rating that blends a player’s batting and bowling performances into one number, so a player has to be strong at both to climb it. Jansen’s week shows exactly how it works.
What happened to the Test bowling and batting charts?
Everything moved at once. The left-arm pacer jumped five places to become the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, displacing Starc. He also gained 13 places in the batting rankings to reach 56th.
That last number matters more than it looks. A bowler who sits 56th among batters isn’t a tailender who bats for show. He’s a man who can change a match from No.8. Former South Africa great Dale Steyn recently called Jansen the best cricketer in the world. That sounded like bold talk a week ago, but the rankings now back him up.
Who else moved in the latest rankings?
South Africa’s gains didn’t end with Jansen. Captain Temba Bavuma climbed four places to second in the Test batting rankings after his Player of the Match effort of 179 in the first innings. Only England captain Harry Brook sits above him.
Spinner Simon Harmer jumped 15 places to eighth among Test all-rounders. On Australia’s side, Scott Boland rose three places to sixth in the bowling rankings.
The top ten Test all-rounders now read: Jansen, Jadeja, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Wiaan Mulder, Starc, Pat Cummins, Washington Sundar, Harmer, Justin Greaves and Gus Atkinson. Jadeja is still No.2, so this is a changing of the guard rather than a collapse. Washington Sundar at No.7 is also worth watching as India’s next all-round option.
What happens next for Jadeja and Jansen?
Jadeja isn’t going anywhere. He’s second, and all-rounder rankings can swing back quickly with one big series. Ranking points reward recent form, so a strong run in India’s next Tests could narrow the gap.
For Jansen, the pressure is now different. Being No.1 means every spell and every innings gets measured against the title. South Africa’s decider in the series will be his first real test as the top-ranked name.
The bigger picture
Cricket loves a long reign, and it loves a successor even more. Jadeja set a standard over four years of steady, unflashy excellence. Jansen has now shown that someone can meet it. The question for the rest of this series isn’t whether Jansen deserves the top spot. It’s whether he can keep it.
“Marco Jansen became the ICC’s No.1 Test all-rounder and No.1 Test bowler in the same ranking update on October 28, ending Ravindra Jadeja’s reign of more than four years.”
FAQ SECTION
Q: Who is the No.1 Test all-rounder in the world right now?
A: South Africa’s Marco Jansen is the No.1 Test all-rounder in the ICC rankings released on October 28. He has 451 rating points and overtook India’s Ravindra Jadeja, who had held the top spot for more than four years.
Q: Who is the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings?
A: Marco Jansen is also the world’s top-ranked Test bowler. The South African left-arm pacer climbed five places in the latest update to overtake Australia’s Mitchell Starc, following his five-wicket haul against Australia in Gqeberha.
Q: How long was Ravindra Jadeja the No.1 Test all-rounder?
A: Ravindra Jadeja held the No.1 Test all-rounder position for more than four years before Marco Jansen overtook him. Jadeja remains in the top two and is currently ranked second in the latest ICC Test all-rounder rankings.
Q: What did Marco Jansen do against Australia to reach No.1?
A: Jansen scored 85 runs and took five wickets in Australia’s first innings in the second Test in Gqeberha. South Africa won the match, levelling the three-match World Test Championship series at 1-1.
Q: Who is the No.1 Test batter right now?
A: England captain Harry Brook is the No.1 Test batter in the latest ICC rankings. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma moved up four places to second after scoring 179 in the first innings against Australia.
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