India skipper Virat Kohli and his limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma will end 2019 as number one and two in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, following a fine showing against the West Indies.
Rohit on Sunday broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s 22-year-old record for most runs in a calendar year by an opener across formats while skipper Virat Kohli reaffirmed his towering status by finishing as the leading run-getter in 2019.
Kohli amassed 2455 runs across formats; his 85 helped India beat the West Indies by four wickets in the series-deciding third ODI here on Sunday.
Rahul, Iyer make gains
Other Indian batsmen, Lokesh Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have made notable gains in the rankings. Rahul’s 185 runs in the series lifted him 17 places to No. 71 while Iyer’s 130-run aggregate sees him move from 104th to 81st. West Indies opener Shai Hope broke into the top 10 after an impressive outing in the three-match series in India.
The wicketkeeper-batsman gained five places to reach ninth position after scoring 222 runs in the series, including an unbeaten 102 in Chennai.
Also moving up the batting rankings are his teammates Shimron Hetmyer (up six places to 19th) and Nicholas Pooran (up 33 places to 30th). Fast bowlers Sheldon Cottrell (up six places to 30th) and Keemo Paul (up 35 places to 104th) have also gained in the latest rankings update.
