Indian wicket-keeper and middle-order batter Rishabh Pant has surpassed former Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the latest ICC Test rankings for batters.
Before the first test against New Zealand, Virat Kohli was in the 7th position and Rishabh Pant was placed 9th in the ICC Men’s Test rankings. But after the first test at Bengaluru which India lost by 8 wickets, Pant has moved to number 6th and Kohli is at 8th.
Rishabh Pant has been a key batter for India in the longest format. He likes to bat in a very unorthodox way and plays his shots without any fear of getting out. He can attack the spinners and has the ‘X-Factor’ in his batting.
England’s Joe Root is at the top of the ICC Men’s Test Batting rankings. Kane Williamson is in the second spot followed by England’s Harry Brook. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is the highest-ranked Indian batter in test cricket at number 4.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma moved down two places and is 15th in the rankings. Shubman Gill, who missed the first test, is 19th in the rankings alongside Pakistan’s Babar Azam.
Rishabh Pant has been in good form since his return
Pant has played 6 test innings since his return to international cricket this year. He has 280 runs at an average of 56 and has struck at 80 including a century and a half-century to his name. He, unfortunately, got dismissed for 99 in the second innings of the first test against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli, meanwhile, has had a poor year in tests compared to his high standards. The former Indian skipper averages 32.40 in 8 test innings this year for 227 runs. Virat has scored only 1 fifty in tests in 2024 without any century as of now.
Irrespective of the rankings, India is already 1-0 down in ongoing the 3-match series against the Kiwis. Both the players will have to be at their best to avoid a series loss. The 2nd test will be played from 24th October in the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA) in Pune. The third test will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1st 2024.
