A disappointing three-match series against Sri Lanka saw Sachin Tendulkar dropping to his lowest Test ranking in 15 years as he slumped to 23rd position in the ICC Test rankings, issued on Tuesday.
Tendulkar, who started the series in 13th position, scored just 95 runs in six innings at an average of 15.83 and fell to his lowest ranking since late 1992.
The Indian batting maestro, who is just 76 runs short of becoming the leading run-getter in Test history, last occupied the top spot six years ago after the 2002 Headingley Test.
However, there was good news too for India as dashing opener Virender Sehwag returned to the top-10 for the first time since March 2006 to become the highest placed Indian in the standings.
Sehwag, who scored an impressive 344 runs in the series, has moved up one place to the 10th, while stylish middle-order batsman VVS Laxman, who scored 25 and 61 not out in the series decider, has climbed three places to 15th position.
Former skipper Rahul Dravid shares the 16th spot with England's Alastair Cook.
Dravid has improved his ranking by two places after scores of 10 and 68, while another former captain Sourav Ganguly has climbed up one place to the 25th position.
In the Test bowlers ranking, the Indian trio of Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan has slipped one place each to find themselves at the 10th, 12th and 18th positions respectively.
Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan continues to top the chart, while his partner-in-spin Ajantha Mendis, who made his debut against India in the just-concluded Test series, has entered into the top 30 with his player-of-the-series award winning performance.
