Virat Kohli clings to fifth spot as Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma attain career best rankings in latest ICC Test player rankings


Virat Kohli clings to fifth spot as Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma attain career best rankings in latest ICC Test player rankings

Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

In the latest ICC Test player rankings, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who scored only 172 runs in four Test matches during England’s tour of India, held on to his spot in fifth place. Kane Williamson continues to rule on the top spot with 919 points while Steve Smith remained at the second spot with 891 points. There was no movement in the top five as Marnus Labuschagne and Joe Root along with Kohli complete the top five.

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Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne closed in on a top-10 spot after a successful second Test against Bangladesh in Kandy which his side won by 209 runs to clinch the two-match series 1-0. Karunaratne’s career-best ranking is sixth, attained in August 2019. He is the top-ranked Test batsman from Sri Lanka with Angelo Mathews next in the list in 24th position.

Rishabh Pant becomes best ranked wicketkeeper batsman in the format

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant

Following his heroics Down Under and during the Test series against England, Rishabh Pant rose to career best ranking in the format. At number six, Pant is best ranked keeper batsman in Tests. He is tied at sixth with teammate Rohit Sharma and New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls. This is Sharma’s career best ranking in the format.

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Ever since Rohit’s ascension to the role of an opener in the longest format, he has been in great touch. The Indian opener smashed 129 runs in two games Down Under while he ramped up 345 runs including a ton against England. Rishabh Pant on the other hand slammed 274 runs against Australia while amassed 270 runs against England to gain five places in the rankings.

Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali‘s nine-wicket haul in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Harare enabled him to gain 15 slots and reach a career-best 20th position among bowlers. Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, up two places to 31st, and left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, up to 12 places to 54th, have also advanced in the list for bowlers.

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