Virat Kohli has achieved his highest ODI career rating points to extend his lead in the ICC rankings for batsmen to a whopping 65 points.
In the updated rankings released by the ICC on Tuesday, the India skipper achieved a rating of 909 points, which puts him seventh in the all-time list in ODI cricket history.
909 is the highest rating ever achieved by an Indian batsman in one-dayers, and it comes on the back of an extraordinary series with the bat for Kohli in India’s 5-1 thrashing of South Africa. It also puts Kohli above West Indies great Brian Lara who has a highest rating of 908 points.
Only two subcontinent batsmen, Zaheer Abbas (931) and Javed Miandad (910) of Pakistan, have achieved a higher rating than the Indian batting maestro.
The 29-year-old scored a staggering 558 runs in the six matches on the back of three centuries, at an eye-popping average of 186.
India’s captain @imVkohli reaches 909 points in the @MRFWorldwide ICC ODI Batting Rankings, the seventh highest rating of all-time!
He’s just the second player after @ABdeVilliers17 to have over 900 points in Tests and ODIs at the same time!https://t.co/UWbtY8J8iu pic.twitter.com/4zFZAKfwUw
— ICC (@ICC) February 20, 2018
South African stalwart AB de Villiers is stationed in second spot in the rankings with 844 points. India’s Rohit Sharma lies in the sixth behind England’s Joe Root with 799 points to his name.
In the bowlers’ category, Jasprit Bumrah is tied for first spot with Afghanistan sensation Rashid Khan. Bumrah has achieved a career high rating of 787 points on the back of the South Africa series.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Rashid has become the youngest bowler to occupy the top spot in the ICC rankings, a truly remarkable feat for the Afghan youngster whose rise in international cricket has been something to behold.
Afghanistan spin sensation @rashidkhan_19 has become the youngest man to top the @MRFWorldwide ICC Player Rankings, now the number one ODI bowler alongside @Jaspritbumrah93! https://t.co/UWbtY8rwTUpic.twitter.com/bUPHYyd22x
— ICC (@ICC) February 20, 2018
The leg-spinner picked up 16 wickets in the recently concluded ODI series against Zimbabwe. He is the youngest player in men’s cricket to achieve the top of the rankings in any format, making his achievement all the more noteworthy.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s fabulous series has seen him climb to the eighth spot in the rankings with Kuldeep Yadav also making a big jump to the 15th spot.
India are perched at the top of the team rankings with 122 points, ahead of South Africa who have 117.
