Virat Kohli’s record-breaking 254 not out in India’s second Test triumph over South Africa in Pune has propelled him back above the 900-point threshold in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen, and has brought him close to top-ranked Steven Smith.
Kohli now has 936 points, while Smith holds 937. The India skipper will have the opportunity to reclaim the top position, which Smith took from him upon his comeback to Test cricket in the 2019 Ashes, when India take on South Africa in the third Test in Ranchi, commencing on October 19.
Among the bowlers in action in Pune, R Ashwin advanced from tenth to seventh, after securing six wickets in the innings-and-137-run victory within 4 days, which assisted India in securing a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Kohli overcame a brief downturn on his way to his first triple-figure rating in Test cricket in 2019. After the first Test – which India had won by 203 runs – Kohli had dropped below 900 rating points for the first time since January 2018.
Ashwin followed his seven-for in the first innings of the initial Test with another impressive performance in the second, to move ahead of Vernon Philander in the bowlers’ standings. Philander dropped three places and is now positioned at eighth.
Other players who made significant advancements included India opener Mayank Agarwal, who backed up a double-century in the first Test with a century in the second to elevate to a career-high seventeenth position. Umesh Yadav, who returned to the Test side, secured six wickets and rose six places to twenty-fifth position.
