Virat Kohli looks back in form by scoring three glorious half-centuries in the recent ICC Champions Trophy tournament. Indian skipper has once again aced the ICC ODI rankings to prove his consistency in International cricket.
Kohli 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.
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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 numero one spot.
The 28-year-old, who is ahead of 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.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan has continued his love-affair with the 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 his team-mates Rohit Sharma and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have slipped one place each to 13th and 14th, respectively, while Yuvraj Singh has gained six places and is now in 88th spot.
Meanwhile, Australia’s pace ace Josh Hazlewood has achieved the number-one position in the bowlers’ rankings for the first time in his career in the latest ICC ODI Player Rankings for Bowlers.
He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets in three matches, including six for 52 against New Zealand in a game which was abandoned due to rain.
Hazlewood, who is the first Australia bowler to top the bowling charts since October 2015 when Mitchell Starc peaked to the top, has leapfrogged Imran Tahir, Starc and Kagiso Rabada.
Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has led the charge of India’s bowlers by vaulting 13 places to share the 23rd spot 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, India’s 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, Stokes has gained one spot and is now sixth, while Jadeja has broken into the top 10 in the eighth position after rising three places.
Meanwhile, West Indies which is currently playing ODI series against Afghanistan, have dropped from 79 points to 77 points in the ICC ODI Team Rankings following their crushing 63-run defeat against the minnows.
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As England plus the next seven highest-ranked sides as on 30 September will qualify directly, the West Indies’ 9 June loss plus Pakistan’s victories against highest-ranked South Africa and Sri Lanka means Pakistan is now ahead of the West Indies by 14 points.
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.
However, England has swapped places with New Zealand and is now ranked fourth, three points ahead of the Black Caps.
In the upcoming matches, India will have a chance to top the table. But for that to happen, it will not only want to face England in the final but also need to retain the title. In this scenario, Kohli’s side will join South Africa on 119 points but will be ranked ahead of the Proteas by a fraction of a point.
With inputs from ANI