Virat Kohli, KL Rahul make massive gains in ICC T20I rankings

Indian skipper Virat Kohli and opener KL Rahul have made significant progress in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20I Player Rankings after producing two superb knocks each in the recently-concluded three-match home series against the West Indies, which the hosts won 2-1.

Rahul’s scores of 62 and 91 in the opening and third T20Is against the Caribbean side saw him move up by three places to the sixth position.

Meanwhile, Kohli’s unbeaten knocks of 94 and 70 in those two matches have taken him back into the top 10 once again as he has gained five positions from his pre-series 15th place. 

Rahul's opening partner Rohit Sharma is the third Indian in the top 10, in ninth position.

The development means Kohli, who was named player of the T20I series against West Indies after finishing with an aggregate of 183 runs, is now in the top 10 in all three formats of the game. The Indian skipper is occupying the top position in the Test and ODI rankings.

Other Indian players to have gained in the latest rankings update include left-hander Rishabh Pant (up 15 places to 74th) among batsmen and Washington Sundar (up 19 places to 14th) and Deepak Chahar (up 22 places to 21st) among bowlers.

For the West Indies, Kieron Pollard has moved up from 106th spot to 79th position with 105 runs in the series, including a fighting 68 in the final match in Mumbai. Nicholas Pooran has also climbed up from 96th to 83rd position, while Shimron Hetmyer’s 120-run aggregate saw him gain 100 slots and reach 104th position.

In the bowlers’ list, Sheldon Cottrell has gained eight slots to reach 12th place while Jason Holder is up from 82nd to 71st.

India and West Indies will now lock horns in the three-match ODI series, beginning December 15 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.