India's VVS Laxman has had a fruitful tour of the West Indies in the two Test matches that have been played. Bolstered by an 85 and 87 in an otherwise low-scoring Barbados Test, he has propelled himself
into the top-10 club of Test batsmen, taking the sixth position.
In the revised rankings released by the International Cricket Council on Sunday, Laxman surpassed team-mate Virender Sehwag, his seven points earned so far from the Caribbean tour placing him behind England's Alastair Cook.
The 36-year-old batsman from Hyderabad has also, in the process, managed to put himself withing striking distance of the five batsman ahead of him, none of whom saw any change in their ranking. Jaques Kallis leads with 883 points while Sachin Tendulkar trails him by 18 points. Laxman has 778 points but with a Test remaining and the tour to England beginning July 15, he will hope to further improve his position in the table.
ICC Reliance Ranking (as of July 3, 2011): Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Jonathon Trott (England), Alastair Cook (England), VVS Laxman (India), Virender Sehwag (India), Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies).
