Team India captain Virat Kohli consolidates top spot in ICC ODI rankings
Dubai: India skipper Virat Kohli has consolidated his position at the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after his stellar batting performance in the recently concluded five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
His 330 runs in the series included an unbeaten 110 in the last match in Colombo on Sunday, his second century of the series.
Kohli, who is also top-ranked in T20Is, has increased his lead over Australia's David Warner from 12 to 26 points and is now on 887 points - equaling the highest ODI rating points by an India batsman, recorded by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar in 1998.
Rohit Sharma, the second highest run-maker in the series with 302 runs, and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are both back in the top 10.
Sharma, who struck two centuries in Sri Lanka, has gained five slots to reach ninth place while Dhoni's 162 runs have lifted him two places to 10th position.
In the team rankings, India remain at the third spot but have gained three points to close in on Australia, which are also on 117 points but remain ahead on decimal points.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have been unable to seal a direct qualification place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which it could have done by winning two matches in the series.
Though it is in a strong position to make the grade, the West Indies can overtake it by beating Ireland in an upcoming match on September 13 and winning either all five matches against England in the last four matches for a 4-1 win in the series from 19 to 29 September.
