Virat Kohli closes the gap to top spot in ICC Test batting rankings

Kolhi’s 74 in the first innings earned him two points, while Smith’s 1 and 1 not out in his two innings lost him 10 points, bringing the Australian’s lead down from 25 points to 13.

Kohli’s first innings of 74 in the eight-wicket defeat against Australia in the first Test in Adelaide earned him two points whereas Smith’s 1 & 1 not out lost him 10 points in the table.

India captain Virat Kohli narrowed the gap to Australia’s Steve Smith at the top of the ICC Men’s Test batting rankings despite India’s capitulation in the first match of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. Kolhi’s 74 in the first innings earned him two points, while Smith’s 1 and 1 not out in his two innings lost him 10 points, bringing the Australian’s lead down from 25 points to 13.

Marnus Labuschagne’s innings of 47 and 6 in the low-scoring match pushed him to a career-best 839 points, while Australia captain Tim Paine’s player-of-the-match innings of 73 not out lifted him to a career-best 33rd place with 592 points. His previous best was 45th in December 2018.

Ashwin overtakes Bumrah

Among the bowlers, Pat Cummins’ seven wickets in the match gained him six points to move to 910, giving him a comfortable lead over Stuart Broad in second place. Cummins’ fellow Australian pacer Josh Hazelwood’s astonishing figures of 5/8 in India’s second innings helped him rise four spots and move back into the top five for first time since March 2018, with 805 points. With four wickets in Australia’s first innings, R. Ashwin overtook Jasprit Bumrah as India’s top-ranked bowler and is currently in ninth place.