ICC rankings for Test batsmen: David Warner achieves career-best; Virat Kohli back to top 20

David Warner

Australia’s David Warner and Steven Smith have achieved career-best rankings in the latest Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings following stellar performances in the first Test against India, which the home side won by 48 runs to go 1-0 up in the four-Test series. (find the top 10 list at the bottom)

Warner, who scored 145 and 102, has moved up two places to a career-high fourth place in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen. In the process, the left-handed opener has also recorded his career-best rating of 880 to date. With the batting form he displayed in Adelaide, Warner has a further chance to move up the order as he trails South Africa’s second-ranked AB de Villiers by eight rating points. Smith’s 162 not out and 52 not out has put him inside the top 10 for the first time in his career. He has gained five places to a career-high eighth position to become Australia’s second-highest ranked batsmen, leapfrogging Michael Clarke (12th).

Smith is now two rating points clear of England’s Joe Root and 27 rating points adrift of Pakistan’s seventh-ranked Younus Khan. Smith’s current 791 rating points are also his best to date as the Adelaide Test earned him 61 rating points.

Virat Kohli back to top 20

There is some good news for India as well with its stand-in captain Virat Kohli returning to the top 20 and opener Murali Vijay also making an upward movement.

Kohli has been rewarded with 85 rating points for hitting two centuries in the Adelaide Test, which has helped him vault 11 places to 16th position. Kohli had dropped to 26th following the conclusion of the series against England in August and had entered the Adelaide Test in 27th spot.

Kohli now trails South Africa’s Faf du Plessis by four rating points, while 14th-ranked New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is another 14 rating points ahead.

Vijay, who scored 53 and 99, has jumped eight places to 28th position. He can potentially move ahead of 24th-ranked Sarfraz Ahmed, whom he trails by 21 rating points, depending on how he performs in the second Test, which starts in Brisbane onWednesday, 17 December.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara comfortably sits on top of the batting table.

No	Batsman	Country	Rating Points
1	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	915
2	AB de Villiers	South Africa	888
3	Shivnarine Chanderpaul	West Indies	887
4	David Warner	Australia	880
5	Angelo Mathews	Sri Lanka	873
6	Hashim Amla	South Africa	863
7	Younis Khan	Pakistan	818
8	Steve Smith	Australia	791
9	Joe Root	England	789
10	Ross Taylor	New Zealand	783