Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli rose to the No. 3 spot in the International Cricket Council rankings for the first time after the third India-England Test at Mohali.
While Kohli’s team put some daylight between them and the rest with an 8-wicket win, the 28-year-old soared in the Test ladder. He dislodged New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson to sit behind Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root, who continued to hold on to their first and second spot respectively.
Only 14 points separate Kohli and Root while 50 points separate the latter and the Australian skipper, who sits pretty at the top despite seeing his team succumb to a 1-2 series loss against South Africa at home. Cheteshwar Pujara is the only other Indian in the top 10, lying in the eight spot.
In the team rankings, India have opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table against England, who have now jumped to the second place despite losing in Visakapatnam and Mohali. Australia lie in third while Pakistan, who were at the top only a couple of months ago, have slumped to the fourth spot. Meanwhile, New Zealand have leapfrogged to sixth after hammering Pakistan 2-0 at home.