ISLAMABAD – India captain Virat Kohli has returned to the top of theInternational Cricket Council’s Test batting rankings following hisman-of-the-match effort against England at Trent Bridge.
The 29-year-old scored 97 and 103 and saw India beat England by 203 runs inthe third Test at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge on Wednesday as they reducedthe hosts’ lead in a five-match series to 2-1.
Kohli took the top spot in the rankings for the first time after scoring ahundred in the series opener at Edgbaston.
But he lost it to the banned Steve Smith after struggling in the secondTest at Lord’s even though the former Australia captain has not playedsince March.
Smith was suspended for a year and stripped of the captaincy by CricketAustralia for his part in a ball-tampering scandal against South Africa,but his ranking points have not changed.
Kohli’s impressive display at Edgbaston, however, took him to 937 ratingpoints, above Smith’s current mark of 929, in the latest edition of the ICCstandings published on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Australia’s David Warner, like Smith was given a ban for hisrole in the ball-tampering scandal, rose a place to fourth despite notplaying.
England captain Joe Root dropped down to fifth after managing just 16 and13 at Trent Bridge.
As well as raw figures, the ICC chart also aims to take into accountfactors such as the quality of the opposition.
Kohli, who has scored 440 runs so far in the England series, has nowachieved the 11th highest all-time rating among Test batsmen and could movefurther 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 iswidely considered to be the greatest Test batsman cricket has known.
It also includes Smith (947), England’s Len Hutton (945) and Jack Hobbs(942), Australia’s Ricky Ponting (942) and England’s Peter May (941).
Meanwhile, West Indies stars Gary Sobers, Clyde Walcott and VivianRichards, as well as Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, all achieved a rating of938 points.
England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson remained top ofthe bowlers’ rankings. – APP/AFP