ICC Test Rankings: Kohli closes gap on Smith, Ashwin gains
Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli has closed the gap on number one batsman Steve Smith in the latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen. Kohli, who scored 74 in the first innings of the recently concluded Day-Night Test against Australia, gained two points and has 888 under his belt. Meanwhile, R Ashwin has now become India's top-ranked bowler. Here are further details.
Smith leads the batting charts with 911 points. The senior Australian batsman, who got scores of 1 and 1*, lost 10 points. Meanwhile, fellow Aussie batsman Marnus Labuschagne moved to a career-best 839 points. He scored 47 and 6 in the two innings against India at the Adelaide Oval. Cheteshwar Pujara dropped down to eighth as Ajinkya Rahane moved out of top 10.
Australian captain Tim Paine's player-of-the-match innings of 73 not out has lifted him to a career-best 33rd with 592 points. His previous best was 45th in December 2018. Further down, Joe Burns' unbeaten 51 in the second innings saw him move into 48th place. This is the first time he has been in the top 50 since 2016.
In the ICC Test Rankings for Bowlers, Indian ace spinner R Ashwin moved to ninth, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah. Ashwin has 777 points and has a 24-point lead over Bumrah (753). Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who ripped apart the Indian batting line-up in the second innings, has moved into the top five after gaining four places. He is fifth, with 805 points under his hat.
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins gained six points for his seven-wicket haul in the first Test. The right-arm pacer moved from 904 to 910 for a comfortable lead over England's Stuart Broad in second place.
