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Virat Kohli leaves Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Pujara behind to become No 2 Test batsman

Kohli achieved this feat after he scored 610 runs in Test series against Sri Lanka

• By: Karan Nanda |
• December 7, 2017 4:32 pm

Indian captain Virat Kohli is now the Number 2 Test batsman according to the latest rankings released by the ICC on December 7. Kohli leaves Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Cheteshwar Pujara behind to grab the second position.

Kohli achieved this feat after he scored 610 runs in Test series against Sri Lanka – the most by an Indian in a three-match Test series and the fourth-highest overall.

Kohli, who slammed back-to-back double-centuries and recorded three-figure scores in three consecutive matches, was at the sixth position when he started the series.

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Australian captain Steve Smith remained at the top with 938 points.

For Sri Lanka, captain Dinesh Chandimal gained eight places to take ninth position after finishing the series with 366 runs. This is the first time he has moved into the top 10.

With Kohli being rested from ODIs and T20Is against Sri Lanka, the third Test match against Sri Lanka in New Delhi was his final match of 2017. Virat Kohli ends 2017 with 2818 international runs. This is the third-highest tally ever recorded in a calendar year.

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However, Kohli is not the highest run-getter in a single year. The list is topped by former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara who scored 2868 runs in 2014 followed by former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s 2833 in 2005.

In the bowling department, India’s Ravindra Jadeja moved to the third position as South African Kagiso Rabada replaced him to grab the second position. England’s James Anderson retained the top spot.

ICC top 10 Test batsmen

1. Steve Smith (Australia) – 938
2. Virat Kohli (India) – 893
3. Joe Root (England) – 879
4. Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 873
5. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 865
6. David Warner (Australia) – 815
7. Hashim Amla (South Africa) – 795
8. Azhar Ali (Pakistan) – 755
9. Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka) – 743
10. Dean Elgar (South Africa) – 732

ICC top 10 Test bowlers

1. James Anderson (England) – 894
2. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) – 876
3. Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 870
4. Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 829
5. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) – 799
6. Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – 786
7. Neil Wagner (New Zealand) – 785
8. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 775
9. Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 774
10. Dale Steyn (South Africa) – 748

ICC Test rankings for all-rounders

1. Shakib Al Hasan – 438 points
2. Ravindra Jadeja – 415 points
3. Ben Stokes – 380 points
4. R Ashwin – 369 points
5. Moeen Ali – 352 points

ICC Test team rankings

1. India – 124
2. South Africa -111
3. England -105
4. New Zealand -97
5. Australia -97
6. Sri Lanka -94
7. Pakistan -88
8. Windies -75
9. Bangladesh -72
10. Zimbabwe -02

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli in 2017: From scoring 2818 international runs to breaking Sachin’s record, here’s a timeline of events

Team India will now face Sri Lankans in a 3-match ODI series, starting from December 10.