Sharma and Shami shine

ROHIT Sharma’s stellar performances in India’s win over South Africa in the first of the three-match Test series in India has helped him rise to a career best ranking of 17th in the ICC Test rankings. In the newly updated rankings, Sharma has jumped a whopping 36 places thanks to his twin centuries in Visakhapatnam. Since being promoted to the opening slot in limited overs cricket in 2013, Rohit has established himself as one of the best players in the format but he never replicated that success in Tests as a middle order and lower middle order batsman. He was finally promoted to the top of the order ahead of the recently concluded first Test between India and South Africa and scored 176 in the first innings and 127 in the second innings, and was man of the match at the end of it. His opening partner Mayank Agarwal also reached his career best position of 25 after his first innings double century. Sharma and Agarwal also shared an opening stand of 317 in the first innings. Indian captain Virat Kohli remains second but his points tally dropped below the 900-mark for the first time since January 2018. Ravichandran Ashwin is back in the top 10 of the rankings thanks to his eight-wicket haul in the first Test. Seven of those wickets came in the first innings. Pacer Mohammed Shami, who took a fifer on the final day, jumped to 16th and has reached a career-best points tally of 710 points. South Africa’s Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock, both of whom scored centuries in the first innings, also moved up in the rankings. De Kock is back in the top 10 after moving to seventh while Elgar has risen to 14th position. India have gained 40 points in the ICC World Test Championship table after the win in Visakhapatnam and are on 160 points.

TESTS

2ND TEST AT PUNE

Day 1, tomorrow from 5.50am, live on SuperSport 2. 3RD TEST AT RANCHI

Day 1 on Saturday, October 19, from 5.50am, live on SuperSport 2. | IANS