In-form Clarke likely to snatch Sehwag's Test top spot

Virender Sehwag's [ Images ] number one Test batsman's tag is under threat with Australian vice captain Michael Clarke [ Images ] hoping to snatch the top slot with some stellar performances in the series against New Zealand [ Images ].

Only 17 rating points separate Sehwag (863) and Clarke (846) who jumped four places to second place in the ICC [ Images ] Player Rankings for Test batsmen after stroking his 14th century in his side's 10-wicket win over New Zealand in Wellington.

Another good performance by the 28-year-old Australian in the second Test starting in Hamilton from Saturday will potentially give him the No 1 position which he first achieved during the Ashes series in England [ Images ] last year.

Two other Indians, Gautam Gambhir [ Images ] and Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ] lost one place each to drop down to sixth and seventh respectively. VVS Laxman [ Images ] stuck to his 14th spot while Rahil Dravid slipped one place to occupy 17th, among the batsmen in top 20.

Among bowlers, still headed by South Africa [ Images ]n pacer Dale Steyn [ Images ], Zaheer Khan [ Images ] and Harbhajan Singh [ Images ] remained at sixth and seventh respectively. The duo are the only two India [ Images ]ns in the top 20. India are still on top of ICC Test Championship table with 124 points ahead of South Africa (120) and Australia [ Images ] (118).

England's 2-0 win over Bangladesh has earned them one ratings point while Bangladesh has conceded two ratings points but the overall positions remain the same.