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Virat Kohli’s Reign As Top-Ranked Test Batsman Comes Under Threat

Written by Vipin Darwade

After the latest ICC rankings were released on Tuesday, a new challenger has emerged to Virat Kohli’s throne — New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

Williamson has become the first New Zealand batsman to break the 900-point barrier in the batsman’s ratings.

Kohli has been sitting pretty at the top of the rankings since the Edgbaston Test against England this year but Williamson’s performance against Pakistan has seen the Indian captain’s lead at the top reduce to just seven points.

The New Zealand skipper was in fine form in the third and final Test against Pakistan where he scored 89 and 139.

Not only did Williamson’s performance set up New Zealand’s convincing 123-run victory over Pakistan but it also earned him 37 ranking points, allowing him to leapfrog Australia’s Steve Smith into second position on a career-high 913 points.

While Williamson shone with the bat against Pakistan, Virat Kohli didn’t fare too well in the opening Test of the four-match series against Australia. He managed scores of only three and 34 in the two innings that saw him concede 15 points to slip to 920 points.

 

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Vipin Darwade