ICC ODI rankings out - Three Indian batsmen in top-10
India inched up one spot to the No. 3 rank in the recently released ICC ODI rankings behind Australia and New Zealand with the 3-0 whitewash over Zimbabwe. While no bowler found a place in the top-10, three Indian batsmen â Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan found a place in the top-10.
India are placed at 110 well behind Australia at 123, while New Zealand takes the spot between the two with 113 points. India's white-wash over Zimbabwe at the Harare grounds has brought the team one point.
Australia secured the No. 1 spot with their win against West Indies in the tri-series on Monday. Despite losing the match, West Indies emerged the biggest winner in the rankings, as they gained six points in the course despite not gaining on the rankings. The Windies now hold a seven-point lead over ninth-placed Pakistan. The eighth rank is important in the context that the top-seven teams as of September 30th other than hosts England qualify directly for the ODI World Cup 2019.
It was the third nation in the tri-series that came out the loser. South Africa, who lost three matches and came up with a no-result, lost two points and slipped down from 112 to 110 â just behind India.
Virat Kohli came second in the rankings for batsmen with 813 points. In an ironic moment after the humiliation at West Indies, South Africa occupies the No.1 and No.3 slots â AB de Villiers is first, while Hashim Amla takes the third spot. In fact, they are joined by Quinton de Kock at the ninth spot as well.
Rohit Sharma is at sixth, while Shikhar Dhawan holds the eighth slot in the rankings.
It is in the bowling zone that India looks absent. With not a single Indian bowler in the top-10, Ravichandran Ashwin is our top-ranked bowler at No. 11 with Axar Patel at No. 12. Sunil Narine occupies the top spot on the list followed by Trent Boult, and it's a Bangladeshi bowler who comes in at third â Shakib Al Hasan.
Hasan has been in phenomenal form also with the bat, and he leads the all-rounder charts. India is struggling here as well with Ravindra Jadeja holding on to the bottom in the top-ten list.
It is an unpleasant surprise when the third-placed nation does not have a single bowler in the top-ten. One only wishes the arrival of Anil Kumble, which has been touted as an effort to bring consistency to the bowling line-up, has the desired effect.
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