Virat Kohli claims career-best second spot in ICC Test rankings

Virat Kohli, the Indian Test captain, claimed his career-best ICC Test rankings for batsmen by jumping up one position to the second spot, as per the latest ICC release. Ravichandran Ashwin, the Indian spinner, consolidated his place at the top of the bowlers’ chart and also entered the top-20 overall list for bowlers for the first time.

Both Kohli and Ashwin were instrumental in India’s emphatic win by an innings and 36 runs against England at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai that helped the hosts seal the five-match series 3-0 with one game to spare. After scoring 400 runs in the first innings, England were handed a big defeat, largely thanks to Kohli’s first-innings knock of 235 – his third double century in Tests – and Ashwin’s match-haul of 12 wickets.

Kohli’s best score in Tests earned him 53 points that enabled him to usurp England’s Joe Root to the second place. The 28-year-old is currently 11 points behind table-topper Steven Smith, whose Australian side will face Pakistan in a three-Test series, starting December 15.