Cricket News Today: Virat Kohli maintains top spot, Hardik Pandya opens up on TV controversy and more - 9th Jan 2020
Hello and welcome to the daily dose of stories making rounds in the world of cricket today.
First up are the updated ICC batting and bowling rankings where Indian captain Virat Kohli maintained his authority, while Australia's latest sensation Marnus Labuschagne climbed to the third spot as well.
Moving to controversies, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya finally opened up on his comments in a famous Indian TV show that created a stir at the start of 2019.
Reports of James Anderson's injury cropped up, where the 151-Test veteran pacer was ruled out due to an injury. Australia's legendary spinner Shane Warne auctioned his baggy green to donate money to the affected people from Australia's devastating bushfires.
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Lastly, Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has put faith in his touring squad to India to perform well in tough Indian conditions.
#1 Virat Kohli retains top spot in latest ICC rankings
#2 Hardik Pandya opens up on TV controversy
#3 James Anderson ruled out of final two Tests
#4 Shane Warne’s baggy green becomes most valuable memorabilia
#5 Aaron Finch confident of Australia doing well in India
Now let us look at today's top cricket news in detail.
#1 Virat Kohli retains top spot in latest ICC rankings
Indian skipper Virat Kohli maintained his top spot in the updated ICC test rankings. Kohli is closely followed by Australia's Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Kohli tops the list with 928 points, while Smith and Labuschagne were left behind with 911 and 827 points respectively.
A superb double ton helped Labuschagne jump to the third spot to register his career-best rankings. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane dropped down one and two places respectively, while England's Ben Stokes jumped five places to break into the top 10.
In the bowlers rankings, Australia's Pat Cummins and New Zealand's Neil Wagner head the list with 904 and 852 points respectively.
Full article: ICC Test Rankings | Kohli retains top spot; Labuschagne reaches career-best third