Virat Kohli has pipped Aaron Finch to claim top spot in the International Cricket Council's Twenty20 Batting Rankings, an ICC media release stated on Tuesday (March 29). The star Indian batsman, who scored a match-winning 82 not out in the virtual quarterfinal against Australia in Mohali on Sunday, traded places with the Australian opener following a productive Super 10 phase in the ongoing World T20, where he scored 184 runs, including a 55 against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Kohli had entered the tournament 24 points behind Finch, but has now opened up a 68-point advantage over the Australian. New Zealand's Martin Guptill climbed up two places to occupy the third spot while Joe Root, the England stroke-maker, gained 105 points to reach a career-high 11th.
While Kohli moved up to the top pot in the batting charts, his teammate Ravichandran Ashwin dropped two places down to third in the bowling rankings, after managing only four wickets from as many games. The benefactor of Ashwin's lukewarm show so far in the World T20 was Samuel Badree, the West Indian leg spinner, who rose to top of the rankings table after claiming six wickets during his team's run to the semifinals of the tournament. Imran Tahir, the South African spinner, retained his second spot.
Meanwhile, Australia's Shane Watson signed off from international cricket as the number-one ranked all-rounder. In the batting charts, the burly all-rounder finished in 10th spot (up by three places) after scoring 96 runs, while he has ended up in 29th spot (up by five places) in the bowlers' list after taking five wickets in four matches.
India, however, continue to top the rankings for teams, followed closely by New Zealand and West Indies.
ICC T20I Rankings for Batsmen:
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 871 |
| 2 | Aaron Finch | Australia | 803 |
| 3 | Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 762 |
| 4 | Faf du Plessis | South Africa | 741 |
| 5 | Alex Hales | England | 737 |
| 6 | Chris Gayle | West Indies | 724 |
| 7 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 718 |
| 8 | Hamilton Masakadza | Zimbabwe | 677 |
| 9 | Mohammad Shahzad | Afghanistan | 674 |
| 10 | Shane Watson | Australia | 664 |
ICC T20I Rankings for Bowlers:
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Badree | West Indies | 753 |
| 2 | Imran Tahir | South Africa | 740 |
| 3 | Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 725 |
| 4 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 674 |
| 5 | Kyle Abbott | South Africa | 671 |
| 6 | Adam Milne | New Zealand | 648 |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja | India | 645 |
| 8 | James Faulkner | Australia | 641 |
| 9 | Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 638 |
| 9 | Mitchell McClenaghan | New Zealand | 638 |
