New Delhi: In yet another low for Virat Kohli, the Indian batting superstar slipped out of the top 20 in the ICC Test batting rankings for the first time in a decade. Kohli, who celebrated his 36th on Tuesday (November 5), is going through a lean patch with the recently concluded New Zealand series becoming his latest flop show.
The last time Kohli found himself outside the top 20 Test batters was back in December 2014. The ranking low back then came after a horrendous tour of England where the former India captain mustered just 134 runs at a lowly 13.4 average across five Tests.
Since then Kohli has emerged as one of the most consistent performers in Test cricket with the world witnessing his best form between 2016 and 2018. During this prolific run, Kohli moved to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings before becoming the first Indian to claim the No. 1 ranking in all three formats.
Kohli’s worst drop in 10 years
The forgettable series against the Kiwis saw Kohli endure his worst-ever aggregate in a Test series at home (at least six innings). The star Indian batter could only manage 93 runs in the series, averaging 15.50 with only one half-century. The poor run saw Kohli’s Test average dipping below 48.00 — 47.83 — from the high of 55.10 in October 2019. The last time Kohli’s Test average dipped below 48 was November 2016.
In the latest batting rankings, Kohli slipped eight spots to 22 while India captain Rohit Sharma slumped to 26.
Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal are the only Indians in the top 10. While Pant moved up six places to fifth following his twin half-centuries in the Mumbai Test, Jaiswal slipped a run to 4th.
England’s Joe Root maintained his top spot in the batting charts.
In ICC rankings for bowlers, South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada consolidated his No.1 rankings by gaining 11 rating points. India have three representatives in the top 10 in the form of R Ashwin (2nd), Jasprit Bumrah (3rd) and Ravindra Jadeja (6th).
Virat Kohli: Another shocking low for the star Indian batter after the forgettable Test series against New Zealand on home soil. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
