Pujara No 2 in Test rankings; Smith tops chart
NEW DELHI: In the recently concluded Test between India and Sri Lanka in Nagpur as well as the Ashes contest between Australia and England in Brisbane, there were a couple of common trends in India and Australia’s victories. In both matches, the captains led from the front with amazing knocks while bowlers chipped in regularly.
Steve Smith’s magnificent, unbeaten 141 was the vital factor in Australia taking a decisive lead and seizing the momentum to knock over England in Brisbane. Over in Nagpur, Cheteshwar Pujara laid the base for India’s dominance over Sri Lanka with a magnificent century but it was Virat Kohli who stole the show with a record fifth double century.
Kohli’s innings in Nagpur and Smith’s knock in Brisbane highlighted the peak of both players’ powers. While Smith rescued Australia and changed the course of the match, Kohli brutally ground Sri Lanka to the ground with his blazing 213. The Indian skipper’s knock tied him level with Brian Lara for most double tons as skipper.
In addition to Smith and Kohli’s ton, Pujara’s solid century has been overshadowed but his value has been highlighted in the latest
ICC rankings. While
Smith has cemented his spot at the top with 941 points, joint-fifth in terms of the highest points tally in batting history in Tests behind Sir Don
Bradman (961),
Len Hutton
(945), Jack Hobbs
(942) and Ricky Ponting (942), Pujara has moved to second spot.
Kohli, despite scoring his fifth double century in seven Test series, remains at fifth position primarily because Smith and Joe Root’s contribution