Virat Kohli received a huge confidence boost ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy semifinals as the Indian cricket team skipper reclaimed the top batting spot in the ICC ODI rankings on Tuesday.
Kohli was 22 points behind South Africa’s AB De Villiers at the start of the tournament, but his two half centuries in the group stages catapulted him into the number one spot.
The charismatic batsman, who is now ahead of second-placed David Warner by just one point, will be leading his side when they take on Bangladesh in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday.
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Shikhar Dhawan also broke into the top-10 batters’ list by gaining five places in the latest rankings. The Indian cricket team opener is currently 10th following scores of 68 against Pakistan, 125 against Sri Lanka and 78 against South Africa. However, Dhawan’s rise means that his team-mates Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have slipped one place each to 13th and 14th, respectively.
In the bowlers’ rankings, Australia’s Josh Hazlewood claimed the number-one position for the first time in his career. The fast bowler became the first Australia bowler to top the bowling charts since October 2015 when Mitchell Starc peaked to the top. Hazlewood is currently the leading wicket-taker in the ICC Champions Trophy with nine wickets in three matches, including six for 52 against New Zealand in a game which was abandoned due to rain.
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Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar climbed 13 places to share 23rd spot with Afghanistan’s Hamza Hotak. Umesh Yadav gained two places and is now 41st, while Jasprit Bumrah is 43rd after rising three places. However, there was bad news for Indian spinners as Ravichandran Ashwin dropped two places to 20th and Ravindra Jadeja lost three places to 29th.
Source: HindustanTimes