India skipper Virat Kohli has retained his position at the top of the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings, it was announced on Monday. Kohli scored 46 and 58 in a losing cause in the fourth Test against England at Rose Bowl in Southampton to consolidate his stay at the numero uno spot with 937 rating points to his name.
Kohli, who has now scored 544 runs in his eight innings in the ongoing series against England, is 11th in the list of best ever in terms of rating points, just one adrift of the likes of Gary Sobers, Clyde Walcott, Vivian Richards and Kumar Sangakkara.
Cheteshwar Pujara stays in sixth position but his unbeaten 132, which helped India take the first innings lead, has lifted him from 763 to 798 points.
India fast bowler Mohammad Shami has progressed back to the top 20 as his six-wicket match haul has lifted him three places to 19th position among bowlers, while his fellow fast bowler Ishant Sharma’s four wickets see him move up one place to 25th position. Jasprit Bumrah has continued the strong start to his Test career, moving to a career-best 487 points while retaining 37th position after his fifth Test.
Meanwhile, England all-rounder Sam Curran has made quick gains in the rankings while spinner Moeen Ali has also moved up after the Southampton Test.
The 20-year-old Curran has moved up 29 places to 43rd position among batsmen after producing crucial knocks of 78 and 46 in his fourth Test match. The left-hander, son of former Zimbabwe cricketer Kevin Curran and younger brother of England player Tom Curran, has also gained 11 places to reach 55th place in the bowlers’ list and 15th position among all-rounders after gaining 27 slots.
Player of the match Ali’s haul of nine wickets has helped him move up three places to 33rd position with a huge gain in rating points. The off-spinner, who grabbed five for 63 and four for 71 in the two innings, has gained 66 points to reach 543 points in bowling, while also gaining one slot to reach seventh place among all-rounders.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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