Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli drop places in ICC Test Rankings after poor 1st Test against Bangladesh; Pant and Jaiswal gain spots
Team India heavyweights Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's rankings suffered after mediocre returns in the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Indian skipper lost five places to land in tenth while Kohli also suffered a similar fate and was ranked twelfth in the latest update of the ICC Test rankings for batters.
Rohit Sharma was dismissed twice by right-arm pacer Hasan Mahmud in the series opener for scores of just six and five in the first and the second innings, respectively.
Kohli had perished in the first innings for six runs after fetching a delivery outside the off-stump. He had gathered something of a start in the second innings, inching to 17 runs off 36 deliveries before being trapped LBW by Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Replays later showed that he had edged the ball, and could have survived had he taken the DRS on the field.
Despite Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's no-shows with the bat, India ended up winning the first Test by a landslide margin. The left-handed duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant played a huge role in the triumph.
Jaiswal stood tall during the top-order collapse inflicted by the new-look Bangladeshi seam attack in overcast conditions. The left-handed opening batter scored a crucial 56 runs off 118 deliveries to repair the innings. The knock has lifted him one spot into the fifth spot in the ICC Test Rankings for men.
Rishabh Pant returned to the red-ball setup for the first time in almost two years and made a mark straightaway. He scored 39 in the first innings, sharing an important partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The wicket-keeper batter made the most of the batting-friendly conditions the second time around to record his sixth hundred. His efforts have led him to the sixth place in the rankings.
Other prominent movements in the ODI rankings include a maiden top ten place for Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz after a significant contribution in the historic series win over Pakistan.
Travis Head also leaps seven spots to breach the top ten after his scintillating ton in the series opener against England.
Focus on Sharma and Kohli in Team India's home season and beyond
Virat Kohli's red-ball form has been a huge topic of debate of late and the ace batter has the rest of the home season to find his rhythm.
Rohit Sharma had a promising home series against England earlier this year, recording two centuries and maintaining his place in the top ten. He will be keen to be among the runs in the upcoming series finale against Bangladesh and the subsequent three-match home series against New Zealand.
The duo will next be in action during the second Test against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to begin at Green Park in Kanpur on Friday, September 27.