Virat Kohli Smashes Sachin Tendulkar's Record; Eyes No. 1 Spot
Virat Kohli scored 191 runs, including 127 in the final match, in India's 2-1 series win over the West Indies as he pushed South Africa's Hashim Amla to number three in the ODI batsmen rankings list, topped by Amla's compatriot AB de Villiers.
Benefitting from his return to form in the abruptly-ended West Indies series, Indian batsman Virat Kohli claimed number two slot in the ICC ODI rankings while swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke into the top-10 for the first time in his career. (Sachin Tendulkar's ODI Record Smashed by Virat Kohli)
Kohli scored 191 runs, including 127 in the final match, in India's 2-1 series win as he pushed South Africa's Hashim Amla to number three in the list, topped by Amla's compatriot AB de Villiers. (People Expect Runs From me Everytime, Says Virat Kohli)
Indian skipper MS Dhoni was the next best India batsman at number six (unchanged) while Shikhar Dhawan lost a place to be eighth. Left-handed Suresh Raina gained three places to move to 15th.
Bhuvneshwar took only two wickets in the series but he jumped seven places to number seven, just behind Ravindra Jadeja, who slipped to sixth from fifth.
Paceman Mohammed Shami, who ended the series as the most successful bowler with 10 for 174, vaulted five places to 16th and has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career. The off-spinner was placed at number 18, a loss of two spots.
In the team rankings, India remain at number two with 113 points, same as South Africa, who though have a chance to snatch top spot from Australia (114) when they face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series, starting Wednesday.
A 3-0 series will put South Africa ahead of the four-time world champions by one ratings point.
If South Africa manage to win all the three matches against New Zealand, then it will reclaim the number-one position for the first time in five years after handing over the baton to Australia following its first-round elimination from the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.
On the other side, if New Zealand win the series, then they will leapfrog Pakistan into sixth position. Currently, both Pakistan and New Zealand are on equal points on 98 ratings points but the Black Caps are in seventh position when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.