PUJARA, JADEJA CLIMB TO NO 2 SPOTS IN ICC TEST RANKINGS
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 have been significantly larger.
Pujara’s rise is a tribute to his brilliant run in 2017. In 10 Tests, Pujara has 1068 runs at an average of over 71 with four centuries and five fifties. Mitchell Starc, who returned from a foot injury he sustained in the Bangalore Test against India, picked up six wickets on his comeback. The performance in Brisbane helped him break back into the top 10. The top India bowler is Ravindra Jadeja, who reclaimed second spot.