New Delhi:
Virat Kohli is synonymous with two things in moder-day cricket- breaking records frequently and accumulating huge number of runs with amazing consistency. The Indian cricket team skipper is one of the best in the business when it comes to the art of batting and this has been recognised in the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In the rankings for Test batsmen, Kohli continues to dominate among the batsmen, sitting pretty on top with a whopping 934 points, establishing a clear 19-point lead against New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. Kohli and Williamson are the only two players who have breached the 900-point mark in the rankings.
Kohli had a magnificent Test match in Perth against Australia. He smashed 123, which was his sixth century in Tests in Australia, putting him level with Sachin Tendulkar. His century was his seventh against Australia but it proved to be in vain as India lost the second Test by 146 runs as Australia leveled the four-match series 1-1. Kohli’s form in the last couple of seasons, across all formats, has been sensational. Ever since he was appointed captain, Kohli’s batting has reached brilliant peaks.
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The year 2018 has been phenomenal for Kohli when it comes to Tests. In 12 games, he has smashed 1240 runs at an average of 56 with five centuries. His tally of runs for the current year is his best-ever, going past 1215 runs which he scored in 2016 at an average of 75. Out of his five centuries this year, Kohli has hit tons in South Africa, two in England and one recently in Australia. One of his centuries came in the Rajkot Test against West Indies.
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Kohli is the first Asian player to score centuries in South Africa, England and Australia in the calendar year and he is the first Asian skipper to lead the side to Test victories in all the three countries in the same year. Cheteshwar Pujara, who blasted a century and a fifty in Adelaide, remains in the fourth spot while Steve Smith, who has been handed a one-year-ban for the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, remains in third spot.
Williamson recently became the first New Zealand player to go past 900 points in the ICC rankings when he hit a century in the crucial Abu Dhabi Test to help New Zealand achieve victory in a ‘home’ series against Pakistan for the first time in 49 years.
The four-match series between India and Australia is currently tied 1-1 and the third Test will be played on Boxing Day in Melbourne. Kohli will be aiming to become the first Indian skipper to achieve a Test series win in Australia.
