Indian skipper Virat Kohli retains top position in ICC Test rankings

NewsBharati    04-Sep-2018
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Dubai, September 4: Indian skipper Virat Kohli continued to stand top of the charts for ICC Test Rankings for batsmen with 937 rating points as he accumulated scores of 46 and 58 runs in the fourth Test against England at The Rose Bowl, Southampton.

 

In a press release, ICC said, “The batting chart, however, was still headed by Virat Kohli, the India captain who got there after scoring 200 runs in the first Test, slipped down behind Steve Smith after faltering in the second Test, and has since returned there. In Southampton, Kohli scored 46 and 58 to take his series tally up to 544 runs – 284 more than second-placed Buttler’s 260.”

“As a result, Kohli consolidated his position atop the table, that too with a career-high 937 points. Unfortunately for his counterpart, the series hasn’t been as lucrative. Joe Root has aggregated just 194 runs in seven innings, and though he is still No.5 on the table, his points have been going down and he is at 809 now,” the ICC said.

ICC also said, “And, while he did end up on the losing side, Cheteshwar Pujara’s 132* in the Indian first innings helped him move to 798 points and stay put at sixth place on the batsmen’s rankings.”

“While Ali spun a web around the Indians, his off-spinning counterpart from the opposition side toiled away without much success – Ravichandran Ashwin turned his arm over for 14.4 overs in the first innings and then, after opening the bowling, for 37.1 overs the second time. But he picked up only one wicket on either occasion and has slipped below Rangana Herath to No.8,” it added.

ICC, in the end, said, “Mohammed Shami, though, was impressive in Southampton, especially in second England hit when he returned 4/57. Add to that the 2/51 from the first innings, and he rose three spots to No.19.”