ICC Test Rankings: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli slip in batting charts, Joe Root back in top 3
ICC Test Rankings: Rohit Sharma, who threw his wicket away on Day 1 of the Indore Test against Australia, slipped to No. 9 in the latest batting charts. Harry Brook rose 15 spots to No. 16.
ICC Test Rankings: Rohit and Kohli slip in batting charts, Root back in top 3 (AP Photo)
By India Today Sports Desk: India captain Rohit Sharma dropped to the No. 9 spot in the ICC Test Batting Rankings, updated on Wednesday, March 1. The India captain slid 2 spots after managing two 30-plus scores in the 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit began the series with a century in the Nagpur Test but the skipper has not managed to get going since.
On Day 1 of the Indore Test, Rohit Sharma was out stumped for 12 when he tried to charge down the track and hit left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann out of the park. Rohit looked disappointed as he threw away his wicket after winning the toss for the first time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and opting to bat.
Rohit Sharma got starts in both the innings in the Delhi Test but he was dismissed for 32 and 31.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant dropped 2 spots to No. 8 in the batting rankings. Pant has not played Test cricket since India’s tour of Bangladesh in December 2022. The star batter has been out of action after suffering multiple injuries in a horrific car crash in December.
Former captain Virat Kohli also dropped a spot to No. 16 in the latest batting charts. Kohli has been struggling for consistency in Test cricket. Kohli, who has not scored a Test hundred since November 2019, managed just 265 runs in 6 Tests in 2022. He has begun the New Year on a poor note, scoring 98 runs in 5 innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli looked good on difficult batting conditions in Delhi and Indore but he was not able to convert his start into a big knock.
While Kohli’s limited-overs form seems to be witnessing an upswing, the former No. 1 batter has not been able to find consistency in whites.
BROOK GOES LEVEL WITH KOHLI
England’s Joe Root moved into the top 3 in ICC Test batting rankings after his 153 not out in the 2nd Test between New Zealand and England in Wellington. Root leapfrogged Babar Azam and Travis Head to the 3rd spot in batting charts.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith remain first and second respectively among Test batters.
New Zealander Tom Blundell is a new arrival in the top 10, rising four places to seventh after he helped the Black Caps to their famous follow-on victory by one run in the second Test against England.
England young gun Harry Brook continues his meteoric rise up the batting rankings after another superb century, climbing 15 places to draw level with Virat Kohli in 16th.
Brook has been in stunning form, scoring 800-plus runs, including 4 hundreds, in 5 Tests as he is laying down an early marker in the longest format of the game.
ICC TEST RANKINGS FOR BATTERS (AS OF MARCH 1)
1. Marnus Labuschagne
2. Steve Smith
3. Joe Root
4. Babar Azam
5. Travis Head
6. Kane Williamson
7. Tom Blundell
8. Rishabh Pant
9. Rohit Sharma
10. Dimuth Karunaratne
16. Harry Brook
17. Virat Kohli
