Rohit overtakes Kohli as best-ranked Indian batsman at number 5 in ICC Test Player Rankings

Dubai, Sep 01 (PTI): Opener Rohit Sharma on Wednesday toppled his skipper Virat Kohli to become top-ranked Indian batsman after being placed fifth in the latest ICC men’s Test Player Rankings.
Rohit’s scores of 19 and 59 in the third Test lifted him one place to a career-best fifth position, seven rating points more than Kohli for an aggregate of 773. The last time someone other than Kohli was the top-ranked India batter was in November 2017, when Cheteshwar Pujara was second and Kohli fifth.
In the latest update, Pujara has progressed three slots to reach 15th position after his second innings knock of 91 and is the fourth Indian on the list with Rishabh Pant still ahead of him in 12th place despite slipping four slots.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah also rose one place among bowlers, from 10th to ninth, while spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was static at the second position behind Australia’s Pat Cummins.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin held on to their third and fourth spots respectively in the Test all-rounder rankings, which is headed by West Indies’ Jason Holder.
England captain Joe Root’s sublime form in the ongoing World Test Championship series against India has helped him reclaim the top spot for batters after nearly six years.
The 30-year-old had started the series in fifth position but his 507 runs in three Tests have helped him overtake Kohli, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and finally New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, whom he now leads by 15 rating points.
Root was second before the Leeds Test, in which he scored 121 in England’s only innings.
Root was last at the number one position in December 2015 before being overtaken by Williamson, with Kohli and Smith also reaching the pinnacle since.
The last time someone apart from these four was at the top was South Africa’s AB de Villiers in November 2015.
Root is now only one point below his career-best aggregate of 917 rating points, which he achieved in August 2015 after his innings of 130 against Australia in Nottingham.
Only four other England batters have achieved more rating points Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs, Peter May and Denis Compton.