Dubai: India lost their number one status to Sri Lanka after being defeated in the World Twenty20 final but star batsman Virat Kohli and spinner R Ashwin on Monday attained career-high positions of second and third respectively in the latest ICC rankings issued in Dubai.
"India pair of Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin has attained career-best rankings, at the end of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for T20I batsmen and Reliance ICC Player Ranking for T20I bowlers respectively," the ICC said in a statement.
"Sri Lanka reclaimed the number-one position on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings Table, after it beat India in the final to win the tournament for the first-time ever. Sri Lanka gained three ratings points to finish on 133, three ahead of India, to move into the top position," the ICC stated.
"Before the semi-finals began, India had gone past Sri Lanka to become the number-one ranked side. The final therefore was also a contest for either side to reclaim or retain the top spot."
Kohli, named player of the tournament, ended as the highest run-getter of the tournament with 319 runs at an average of 106.33 and a strike-rate of 129.14. He scored an unbeaten 72 in the semi-final against South Africa and followed it up with a knock of 77 in the final against Sri Lanka.
These efforts helped Kohli gain 68 ratings points to move up to a best-ever 889 ratings points, just three behind number-one ranked Australia batsman Aaron Finch. The only other India batsman in the top 10 is Suresh Raina, now in 10th place (down by three).
Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera, in fifth, is the only batsman from his side in the top 10. South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has entered the top 10 for the first-time ever and is now in sixth place (up by 11). Close on his heels is teammate JP Duminy, in seventh place (up by one).
The other batsmen to move upwards outside the top 20 are Hashim Amla in 22nd place (up by two), Rohit Sharma in 26th (up by one), Dwayne Bravo in 29th (up by two), Angelo Mathews in 41st (up by six), Dwayne Smith in 47th (up by one), David Miller in 59th (up by two), Thisara Perera in 67th (up by three) and Ajinkya Rahane in 85th (up by four).
Meanwhile, India off-spinner Ashwin now shares the third position on the bowlers' table with Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal. Ashwin finished with 11 wickets in the tournament at an average of 11.27 and an economy rate of 5.35 runs per over. Ashwin ended as the fourth highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He had spells of three for 22 in the semi-final against South Africa and one for 29 in the final against Sri Lanka. These efforts helped him gain 25 ratings points to end at a best-ever 711.
The bowlers' list is still headed by West Indies' Samuel Badree with teammate Sunil Narine in second place. The only other positive movements inside the top 20 were that of Lasith Malinga and Imran Tahir. While Sri Lanka captain Malinga moved up three places to 13th, South Africa's leg-spinner Tahir entered the top 20 for the first-time ever as he rose four places to a best-ever 17th.
Outside the top 20, the bowlers to move up are Marlon Samuels in 35th (up by five), Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 54th (up by 10), Amit Mishra in 60th (up by 14), Rangana Herath in 70th (up by 31) and JP Duminy in 92nd (up by five). Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's senior pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara signed off on their international T20 careers at the end of the ICC World Twenty20 2014. Jayawardene finished in 12th place on the batting table (down two) and Sangakkara, man of the match in the final for his unbeaten knock of 52, ended at 17th place (up by one).
For Jayawardene the highest position he ever reached on the batting table was number two in March 2013. On the other hand, Sangakkara's best-ever ranking was the third position he attained in December 2009.
