India captain Virat Kohli has reclaimed the top batting spot in the latest ICC ODI Player Rankings, which were released on Tuesday morning following the conclusion of the last round of league matches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Virat had entered the tournament 22 points behind number-one ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa (who had been No.1 since 25 February 2017) and 19 points behind Australia’s David Warner. However, following knocks of 81 not out against Pakistan and 76 not out against South Africa, he has leapfrogged de Villiers and Warner into the number-spot.
Virat, who is ahead of David Warner by just one point, had enjoyed just four days at the top in January 2017, but will now be aiming to do better when he faces Bangladesh in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday.
India’s opener Shikhar Dhawan has continued his love-affair with the ICC Champions Trophy by returning into the top 10. The left-hander has vaulted five places to 10th following scores of 68 against Pakistan, 125 against Sri Lanka and 78 against South Africa.
Dhawan’s rise means Rohit Sharma and former captain MS Dhoni have slipped one place each to 13th and 14th, respectively, while Yuvraj Singh has gained six places and is now in 88th spot
Josh Hazlewood is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets in three matches.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has led the charge of India’s bowlers by vaulting 13 places to share 23rdspot with Afghanistan’s Hamza Hotak. Umesh Yadav has gained two places and is now 41st, while Jasprit Bumrah is 43rd after rising three places.
However, the spinners have slipped in the latest rankings with Ravichandran Ashwin dropping two places to 20th and Ravindra Jadeja falling three places to 29th.
There is no change in the top five of the all-rounders’ list, which is headed by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. However, Ben Stokes has gained one spot and is now sixth, while Jadeja has broken into the top 10 in eighth position after rising three places.
Meanwhile, there is no change in the rankings of the top three sides following 12 matches in the ICC Champions Trophy, though number-one ranked South Africa has dropped three points and second-ranked Australia has conceded one point.
In the upcoming matches, India will have a chance to top the table. But for that to happen, they will not only want to face England in the final but also need to retain the title. In this scenario, Virat’s side will join South Africa on 119 points but will be ranked ahead of the Proteas by a fraction of a point.
