Virat Kohli moves to second in ICC Test Rankings, Steve Smith retains top spot

New Delhi: Virat Kohli was rewarded for his brilliant performances against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded three-match Test series as the Indian cricket team skipper moved up three places to grab second position among batsmen in the latest ICC Test Rankings on Thursday.
Kohli, who was the top-scorer against Sri Lanka with 610 runs, scored three centuries and one fifty against the hapless visitors to guide his side to a comfortable 1-0 series win.
Virat Kohli had a disappointing start to the series as he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings in Kolkata, but the 29-year old bounced back with a gritty century in the second innings to take his team within inches of a stunning victory. The second Test was no different as the Indian skipper completely dismantled the Sri Lankan bowling attack and ended up scoring a mammoth 213 off 267 balls.
But Virat Kohli kept his best for the last Test in New Delhi as the Indian cricket skipper slammed a career-best 243, then followed it up with a 58-ball fifty in the second innings.
Thanks to these impressive performances, Kohli leapfrogged David Warner, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kane Williamson and Joe Root to claim the second spot – just 45 points behind Australia skipper Steve Smith.
However, it will tough for Kohli to take away the top spot from Smith right now as the Aussie right-hander was in a class of his own against England in the first Ashes 2017-18 Test match in Brisbane.
Smith, who is currently the joint fifth-highest in terms of the highest points tally in batting history in Tests, scored an unbeaten 141 on a tough Gabba pitch to lay the foundation for his team’s victory. Although he was not so successful in the Adelaide day-night Test, he will be looking to regain his form.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal gained eight places to take ninth position after scoring 366 runs in the series against India – the second highest after Virat Kohli. All-rounder Angelo Mathews also moved up seven places to 23rd position while Dhananjaya de Silva’s match-saving 119 lifted him nine places to 47th position.
For Australia, left-hander Shaun Marsh’s unbeaten 126 in the first Test in Adelaide took him to a career-best 27th position while Tom Blundell entered the rankings in 70th position after becoming the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to score a century on Test debut after scoring 107 against West Indies.

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