Kohli displaces Smith to become No.1 Test batsman

India skipper Virat Kohli is back at the top of the batsmen’s list in the ICC Rankings for Test batsmen as Australia’s Steve Smith slipped behind him in the latest update released on Wednesday.

Kohli, who had struck a fine 136 in the Day-Night Kolkata Test against Bangladesh last week to reach 928 points, is now five points clear as Smith’s knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test against Pakistan saw him slip to 923 points from 931 before the match.

The other Indian batsman in top 10 is Ajinkya Rahane at the sixth spot. Meanwhile, opener Mayank Agarwal has moved out of the top 10.

Australia opener David Warner’s epic 335 not out has lifted him 12 places to the fifth position while Marnus Labuschagne is in the top 10 for the first time after being ranked as low as 110th at the start of the year.

Pakistan middle-order batsman Babar Azam has moved up two places to 13th, thanks to his fighting knock of 97 in the first innings, while left-handed opener Shan Masood has gained 10 places to reach a career-best 47th position after striking 68 in the second innings.

England captain Joe Root is back in the top 10 after spending a week outside it, his innings of 226 pulling him up to seventh from 11th. Rory Burns’s second Test century has pushed him into the top 40 for the first time.

For New Zealand, Ross Taylor has gained two places to reach 16th among batsmen and Tim Southee has moved up one place to 13th among bowlers. In the bowlers’ ranking, fast bowler Mitchell Starc has moved up four places to 14th after grabbing seven wickets in the Adelaide Test.

Left-arm Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, one of the stars of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018, has moved up 13 places to 49th among bowlers.

West Indies captain Jason Holder’s five wickets have helped him move up one slot to third place with a career-best 830 rating points and he has also consolidated his position at the top of the all-rounders’ list.

Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall has broken into the top 50 with a 10-wicket haul while centurion Shamarh Brooks has risen 68 places to 62nd.

Meanwhile, Known to keep fitness on top of their agenda under skipper Kohli, the Indian cricket team on Wednesday added a new running drill to their practice curriculum.

During the first training session, the Indian players were seen running in batches with the front row having coloured towels placed on the back of their shorts and the chasing pack trying to collect it.

The video was shared by BCCI on their social media handles with the caption “A look at Team India’s new ‘Chase drill’.

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