ENG v IND 2018: Virat Kohli pips Steve Smith to become the no.1 Test batsman in ICC rankings

Kohli became the seventh Indian batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011 to achieve this monumental feat.

Kohli jumps past Steve Smith to become No.1 Test batsman | Getty

Following his awe-inspiring batting in the first Test against England at Edgbaston, India skipper Virat Kohli has jumped past Steve Smith to clinch the no. 1 spot in ICC’s latest Test rankings for batsmen.

Kohli, who recorded the scores of 149 and 51 in India’s 31-run defeat at Edgbaston, gained 31 points to end Smith’s 32-month reign as the numero uno Test batsman. Kohli now leads Smith by five points but will have to maintain the form in the remaining four Tests to finish the series as the world’s highest-ranked batsman.

While Kohli reached the pinnacle for the first time in his 67-Test career, he also became the seventh Indian batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011 to achieve this monumental feat.

Besides Kohli; Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Dilip Vengsarkar are the other India batsmen to have achieved no. 1 rankings in Test cricket.

However, with 934 points to his name, Kohli has become India’s highest-ranked batsman and 14th overall on the all-time tally of points. The Indian captain had entered into the Edgbaston Test with 903 points, 13 points behind Gavaskar, and is now ahead of the legendary opener by 18 points.

If Virat comes up with another batting masterclass in the second Test at Lord’s, he might break into the top 10 by overtaking Matthew Hayden, Kallis and AB de Villiers, whose highest points tally was 935 each. With 961 points, the great Sir Don Bradman is heading this elite list.

The batsmen to see a downfall in their rankings after the Edgbaston Test include Alistair Cook 17th (down by four places), Lokesh Rahul 19th (down by one place), Ajinkya Rahane 22nd (down by three places), Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, who now share 25th position after slipping two and one spots, respectively, and Ben Stokes 33rd (down by five places).

On the other hand, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has gained 14 points following his seven-wicket haul at Edgbaston. Ashwin (5th) now trails South Africa’s fourth-ranked Vernon Philander (826 rating points) by just one point. England’s ace pacer James Anderson is heading the bowler’s list with 884 rating points.

ICC batting rankings (Top 10):

Rank         Player              Points 

 1       Virat Kohli                934

 2       Steve Smith             929     

3       Joe Root                    865     

 4      K. Williamson           847     

5       David Warner          820     

6       C. Pujara                   791     

 7       D. Karunaratne       754  

 8       D. Chandimal          733     

9       Dean Elgar                 724     

10      Aiden Markram       703

 

ICC bowling rankings (Top 10):

Rank       Player                      Points 

   1       James Anderson          884     

   2       Kagiso Rabada             882     

   3       Ravindra Jadeja           857     

   4       Vernon Philander        826     

   5       R. Ashwin                     825     

   6       Pat Cummins               800

   7       Trent Boult                  795     

   8       Rangana Herath          791     

   9       Neil Wagner                765     

10      Josh Hazlewood           759     

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 05 Aug, 2018

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