ICC Test rankings: Kohli retains top spot among batsmen

Dubai: Indian captain Virat Kohli maintained his top spot among batsmen while the injured Jasprit Bumrah slipped to sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings, issued on Monday.

Kohli (928 points) is 17 points ahead of Australia's Steve Smith (911) while Cheteshwar Pujara (791) and Ajinkya Rahane (759) held on to their fourth and sixth spots respectively.

Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne continued his surge, entering the top five in the list of batsmen after scores of 143 and 50 in the Perth Test which his side won by 296 runs against New Zealand.

Labuschagne, who narrowly missed joining Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas and Mudassar Nazar in scoring at least 150 in three successive Test innings, gained three slots to occupy fifth place. He overtook compatriot David Warner and is the second-highest ranked Australia batsman after Steve Smith.

Meanwhile, Pakistan batsman Babar Azam reached the top 10 for the first time, moving from 13th to ninth position after his unbeaten knock of 102 against Sri Lanka in the drwan first Test. He is currently No 1 in the T20I rankings and second in the ODIs.

Opener Abid Ali's unbeaten 109, which made him the first male cricketer and only the second after former England woman opener Enid Bakewell to score centuries on both Test and ODI debuts, has entered the rankings at an impressive 78th position.

Australia's Travis Head moved up two slots to 32nd position while New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor gained five places to reach 11th position after scores of 80 and 22 while Colin de Grandhomme is up three places to 40th.(UNI)