ICC Test Rankings: Kohli returns to top with match-winning performance

The man-of-the-match in India’s triumph at Trent Bridge, Virat Kohli has returned to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings.

India captain Virat Kohli has reached a personal best of 937 rating points while reclaiming the top position for batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after the Trent Bridge Test, ICC has stated in a Press release.

The 29-year-old’s player of the match effort of 97 and 103 did not only help India reduce the deficit in the five-match series to 2-1 after winning the third Test by 203 runs but has also lifted him to the 11th best ever in terms of rating points.

Kohli, who claimed the top spot for the first time after the opening Test in Birmingham but dropped to second after the Lord’s defeat, is now only one point behind a group of four in the all-time list and with a good chance of going past them on current form that has seen him score 440 runs in the series.

The top 10 in the list are Don Bradman (961 points), Steven Smith (947), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs (942), Ricky Ponting (942), Peter May (941), Gary Sobers, Clyde Walcott, Vivian Richards and Sangakkara (all 938 points).

Cheteshwar Pujara remains the second highest ranked India batsman in the list, in sixth position, while Ajinkya Rahane (up four places to 19th), Shikhar Dhawan (up four places to 22nd) and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (up eight places to 51st) have moved up after useful contributions at Trent Bridge.

Pandya has also reached the 51st spot in the bowlers’ rankings, gaining 23 slots to reach his career-best position after a crucial five-wicket haul in the first innings. His fellow fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in England’s second innings has also lifted him to a career-best 37th position after a gain of eight places.

For England, Jos Buttler’s valiant 106 in the second innings has lifted him 22 places to 47th position. Another significant gainer for England in the batsmen’s rankings is Adil Rashid, whose unbeaten 33 in the second innings has seen him gain eight slots to reach 116th position.

Rashid has also gained four slots to reach 47th position among bowlers after grabbing four wickets in the match, while Chris Woakes has inched up one place to 31st position after also finishing with four wickets in the third Test.

ICC TEST RANKINGS (as on 23 August)

Top 10 Batmen –

Rank	Player	Team	Points	Avge	Highest Rating
1	Virat Kohli	Ind	937!	54.49	937 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2018
2	Steve Smith	Aus	929	61.37	947 v SA at Durban 2018
3	Kane Williamson	NZ	847	50.35	893 v Aus at Perth 2015
4	David Warner	Aus	820	48.20	880 v NZ at Perth 2015
5	Joe Root	Eng	818	51.27	917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
6	C. Pujara	Ind	763	49.30	888 v SL at Nagpur 2017
7	D. Karunaratne	SL	754!	37.28	754 v SA at Colombo (SSC) 2018
8	D. Chandimal	SL	733	44.96	755 v Win at St Lucia 2018
9	Dean Elgar	SA	724	41.05	784 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
10	Aiden Markram	SA	703*	47.27	759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018

BOWLERS (top 10)

Rank	Player	Team	Points	Avge	Highest Rating
1	James Anderson	Eng	826	26.85	937 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2018
2	Kagiso Rabada	SA	800*	21.71	947 v SA at Durban 2018
3	Ravindra Jadeja	Ind	795	23.11	893 v Aus at Perth 2015
4	Vernon Philander	SA	792	21.54	880 v NZ at Perth 2015
5	Pat Cummins	Aus	800*	23.81	917 v Aus at Trent Bridge 2015
6	Trent Boult	NZ	795	27.84	888 v SL at Nagpur 2017
7	R. Ashwin	Ind	792	25.45	754 v SA at Colombo (SSC) 2018
8	Rangana Herath	SL	791	27.95	755 v Win at St Lucia 2018
9	Neil Wagner	NZ	765	28.26	784 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018
10	Josh Hazlewood	Aus	759	26.84	759 v Aus at Johannesburg 2018

ALL-ROUNDERS (top five)

Rank	Player	Team	Points	Highest Rating
1	Shakib Al Hasan	Ban	470	489 v Aus at Mirpur 2017
2	Vernon Philander	SA	370	379 v SL at Galle 2018
3	Ravindra Jadeja	Ind	370	438 v SL at Colombo (SSC) 2017
4	R. Ashwin	Ind	367	493 v Eng at Mohali 2016
5	Jason Holder	Win	354/*	355 v Ban at Jamaica 2018

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