The latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) is a big wake-up call for the Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli. Known as the ‘run-machine’, Kohli has failed to find a spot for himself in the top 10 of Test batting rankings.
Virat Kohli Not In Top 10 Test Batting Rankings
Yes, not just Virat Kohli but Indian captain Rohit Sharma is also not included in the Top 10 Test batting rankings. The only Indian batter who features in the top 10 is Rishabh Pant, who has been out of action for six months now. Rishabh Pant is currently recovering from multiple injuries that he suffered during a tragic accident.
Joe Root has replaced Marnus Labuschagne as the new No.1 ranked Test batsman in the latest ICC Men’s Test batting rankings released on Wednesday. Marnus held the numero uno spot for over six months since rising to the top in December 2023. However, Root with his latest century against Australia in the 1st Ashes Test has snatched the top spot from the Australian middle-order batsman.
Kane Williamson is sitting on the second number with 883 ranking points. Along with Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head too lost their places. Smith has dropped four spots, moving to sixth position and Travis has dropped one place and is sitting at fourth position. Babar Azam of Pakistan completes the fifth spot.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja rose to a new career-best ranking of seventh with Rishabh Pant being the only Indian to be in the top 10.
Notably, Indian captain Rohit Sharma is placed 12th while Virat Kohli takes the 14th position.
Check out the Top 10 ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings:
1) Joe Root – 887
2) Kane Williamson – 883
3) Marnus Labuschagne – 877
4) Travis Head – 873
5) Babar Azam – 862
6) Steve Smith – 861
7) Usman Khawaja – 836
8) Daryl Mitchell – 792
9) Karunaratne – 780
10) Rishabh Pant – 758
Talking about Kohli, the former captain was expected to perform well in the WTC Final 2023. However, he failed to convert them into a big number as he couldn’t do much in both innings, scoring just 14 and 49. Team India eventually suffered a 209-run defeat at The Oval.
Kohli To Achieve A New Milestone During IND vs WI Tour
Kohli will be next seen in action in the upcoming tour of the West Indies, where he would like to shrug off the WTC disappointment and make a fresh start. Kohli will be eyeing a personal milestone. He will be looking forward to joining the elite 1000-Test run club against West Indies in the series.
So far, he has scored 822 runs in 14 Tests against West Indies. He only needs 188 more runs to become just the 11th Indian cricketer to score 1000 or more runs against them.
