IND vs AUS 2017: Ranking boost for Rohit Sharma in ODIs

Virat Kohli stays No.1 in ICC ODI rankings

Rohit
India’s star opener Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant ton on Sunday against Australia. Image Source: twitter

Internet Desk: India opener Rohit Sharma has moved up four places to reach fifth position in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings after finishing as the leading scorer in the home series against Australia which India won 4-1 on Sunday.

Sharma’s 296 runs in the series, which included a fine 125 in the last match in Nagpur, contributed significantly to India’s convincing victory over the World champions that helped the home side grab the No.1 position in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings. Sharma is now on a career-best 790 rating points but his highest ranking has been third, which he attained in February 2016.

Other openers in the series have also made noteworthy gains. Sharma’s opening partner Ajinkya Rahane has moved up four places to reach 24th position while Australia’s opening pair of Aaron Finch and David Warner have proved more prolific and the results show in the latest rankings that also take into account the five-match series in England which the home side won 4-0 against the Windies.

Finch has gained nine slots to reach 17th position while Warner has closed in on No. 1 ranked Virat Kohli, bridging the pre-series gap of 26 points to just 12 points as he has moved to 865 points.

Other batsmen moving up include Kedhar Jadhav of India (up eight places to a career-best 36th), Marcus Stoinis of Australia (up 74 places to 54th), Jason Roy (up seven places to 30th), Jonny Bairstow (up 48 places to 40th) and Moeen Ali (up 18 places to 56th) of England, and the Windies pair of Jason Holder (up 11 places to 73rd) and Evin Lewis (up 31 places to 78th).

In the rankings for bowlers, South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir has regained the top spot after Australia pace bowler Josh Hazlewood missed the India series due to a side strain and lost 18 points in the process. Tahir is now just four points ahead of Hazlewood at 718 points.

In other movements, India’s left-arm spinner Akshar Patel has reached a career best seventh position after moving up three places while wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (up 24 places to 75th) and Kuldeep Yadav (up nine places to 80th) have also moved northwards.

Other bowlers to move up include Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile (up 49 places to a career-best 44th position) and Pat Cummins (up seven places to 21st), and England’s Liam Plunkett (up three places to 10th) and Adil Rashid (up four places to 12th).

In the list of all-rounders led by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, England’s Ben Stokes has moved into the top five.

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 2 October, after the England v West Indies and India v Australia series):

 

BATTING (top 10)

Rank      (+/-)       Player                    Team     Points    Avge     Highest Rating

1          ( – )          Virat Kohli             Ind          877        55.13     887 v Aus at Kolkata 2017

2          ( – )          David Warner       Aus         865        44.94     880 v Pak at Adelaide 2017

3          ( – )          AB de Villiers        SA           847        53.55     902 v NZ at Auckland 2015

4          ( – )          Joe Root                Eng         802        50.00     808 v Win at Bristol 2017

5          (+4)         Rohit Sharma       Ind          790!       44.03     790 v Aus at Nagpur 2017

6          (-1)          Babar Azam          Pak         786*!     53.88     786 v Ind at The Oval 2017

7          (-1)          Kane Williamson NZ           779         46.98     798 v SA at Centurion 2015

8          (-1)          Quinton de Kock  SA           769         43.44     803 v NZ at Wellington 2017

9          (-1)          Faf du Plessis       SA           768        43.41     791 v SL at Cape Town 2017

10         ( – )          Martin Guptill        NZ           749        43.30     789 v SA at Hamilton 2017