Heena Sharma Blog

India captain Virat Kohli has managed to hold on to his second position behind Australia's Steve Smith in the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen released on Monday. Kohli, with 903 rating points, is 34 points behind Smith (937). Besides former Australia captain Smith, compatriot Pat Cummins has also retained his one position in the ICC Test bowlers' rankings. Both Smith and Cummins player key roles in helping Australia retain The Ashes. The Ashes culminated with a 135-run victory for England in the fifth and final Test on Sunday. The series ended in a 2-2 draw with Australia retaining the Urn. Smith's scores of 80 and 23 in the two innings in the final Test helped him remain at 937 rating points, an incredible effort since he started the series in fourth position with 857 points before his surge that came courtesy 774 runs in four Tests. Cummins too is well clear of other bowlers as he enjoys a lead of 57 points over second-placed Kagiso Rabada after finishing

India skipper Virat Kohli maintained his top spot, while young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and pacer Jasprit Bumrah attained their career-best positions in the latest ICC Test rankings . Kohli gained 14 points to reach 934 points after a valiant first-innings knock of 123 in the second Test at Perth which Australia won by 146 runs to level the four-match series. The India captain has thus increased his lead over New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson from seven to 19 points. Pant gained 11 places to secure the 48th spot while India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane moved up two places to progress into the top-15. In the bowlers list, Bumrah achieved a career-high ranking of 28 while fellow teammate Mohammad Shami moved two places to 24th. Read More Business Standard