Kohli, who has scored 440 runs so far in the England series, has now achieved the 11th-highest all-time rating among Test batsmen. (AFP)
Indian captain Virat Kohli has returned to the top of the International Cricket Council’s Test batting rankings, after his man-of-the-match effort against England.
The 29-year-old scored 97 and 103 when India beat England by 203 runs in the third Test at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge on Wednesday, reducing the hosts’ lead in a five-match series to 2-1.
Kohli took top spot in the rankings for the first time after scoring 100in the series opener at Edgbaston.
But he lost it to Steve Smith after struggling in the second Test at Lord’s,though the former Australia captain has not played since March.
Smith was suspended for a year and stripped of the captaincy by Cricket Australia for his part in a ball-tampering scandal against South Africa, but his ranking points haven’t changed.
Kohli’s impressive display at Edgbaston, however, took him to 937 rating points, above Smith’s current mark of 929, in the latest edition of the ICC standings published on Thursday.
Meanwhile Australia’s David Warner, alsobanned for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, rose a place to fourth despite not playing.
England captain Joe Root dropped down to fifth after managing just 16 and 13 at Trent Bridge.
As well as raw figures, the ICC chart also aims to take into account factors such as the quality of the opposition.
Kohli, who has scored 440 runs so far in the England series, has now achieved the 11th-highest all-time rating among Test batsmen and could move further up that list in the remaining two matches of the England series.
The top 10 is headed by Australia’s Donald Bradman (961 points), who is widely considered to be the greatest Test batsman cricket has known.
England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson remainstop of the bowlers’ rankings. — AFP
The ICC’s top batsmen and bowlers
BATTING
1(+1)Virat Kohli (India) 937
2(-1) Steve Smith(Australia) 929
3(+1) Kane Willamson (New Zealand)847
4(+1) David Warner (Australia)820
5(-2) Joe Root (England) 818
6(-)Cheteshwar Pujara (India) 763
7(-)Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka)754
8(-) Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka) 733
9(+1) Dean Elgar (South Africa) 784
10 (+1) Aiden Markram (South Africa) 703
BOWLING
1(-) James Anderson (England) 899
2(-)Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) 882
3(-) Ravindra Jadeja (India) 840
4(-)Vernon Philander (South Africa)826
5(+1) Pat Cummins (Australia) 800
6(+1) Trent Boult (New Zealand) 795
7(-2) Ravichandran Ashwin (India) 792
8(-) Rangana Herath(Sri Lanka) 791
9(-)Neil Wagner (New Zealand) 765
10 (-) Josh Hazlewood (Australia) 759