After regaining his form at the Asia Cup, Kohli still has a ways to go before he can challenge for the top spot among T20I batters, but he is at least headed in the right direction.
Digital Desk: Star India batsman Virat Kohli has risen 14 spots to 15th overall in the ICC T20I batter rankings due to his efforts in the recently concluded Asia Cup in the UAE. Against Afghanistan, Kohli scored his first international century in over three years, and he finished the regional championship game with 276 runs.
After regaining his form at the Asia Cup, Kohli still has a ways to go before he can challenge for the top spot among T20I batters, but he is at least headed in the right direction.
The best T20I batsman in terms of rankings was the defending champion right-hander, but teammates KL Rahul of India (up seven ranks to 23rd) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka (up 34 spaces to 34th) both made significant gains on those players.
Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka has also received recognition for his outstanding efforts at the Asia Cup, and in the game's shortest format, a new No. 1 all-rounder has been named.
Hasaranga, a match-winning bowler for Sri Lanka, rose three spots to sixth place overall among bowlers and seven spots to fourth place overall among all-rounders after being named "Player of the Tournament" at the Asia Cup.
The Sri Lankan all-rounder took nine wickets throughout the tournament, including three against Pakistan in the championship match. His performance was a major factor in the island nation's ability to win its sixth Asia Cup.
If Hasaranga can maintain his present form at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, he may be aiming for the top spot on both ranking lists. On the list of T20I bowlers, the 25-year-old is currently just 100 rating points behind Australia's Josh Hazlewood, and the top-to-bottom difference on the all-rounder ranks is even smaller.
Following the Asia Cup, Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh, surpassed Mohammad Nabi, a veteran from Afghanistan, to become the new No. 1 T20I all-rounder.
However, Hasaranga has recently had a sharp ascent and has already climbed to a rating total of 184, putting Shakib (248) and Nabi (246) squarely in his crosshairs.
In a close race for first place, Pakistan's seasoned batsman Mohammad Rizwan keeps the top spot in the T20I batter rankings, while South Africa's Aiden Markram surpasses Babar Azam to take second.
Following impressive performances at the Asia Cup, Pakistan's Haris Rauf and India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both speed bowlers, moved up nine spots to tie for 25th on the list of T20I bowlers and seven spots to move up to 34th.
The latest Test player rankings showed no changes in the top 10, while players from South Africa and England made significant gains after finishing a recent three-match series.
Following his five-wicket haul in the first innings of the third and deciding Test at The Oval, England right-hander Ollie Robinson climbed 11 ranks to 15th on the bowling rankings, while teammate Ollie Pope rose 17 places to 29th overall on the list of batters.
Despite losing the series to Brendon McCullum's team 2-1, bowler Marco Jansen's effort in the series' final Test will give South Africa hope.
A five-wicket haul of his own helped Jansen climb eight ranks to 26th place among Test bowlers and six spots to tie for 12th place among all-rounders as a result of his efforts.
The most notable winners of the recent changes to the ODI player rankings were the veteran combo of Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc, who won the recently concluded Chappell-Hadlee series 3-0.
Smith, who scored 167 runs in the series, was rewarded by moving up 13 ranks to the 10th spot overall in the batter rankings.
The seasoned left-armer will be happy with his three-place move to ninth overall on the list of ODI bowlers, even though Starc's rise wasn't nearly as spectacular.
Trent Boult of New Zealand, who concluded the series against Australia as the series' best wicket-taker with 10 victims, keeps the top spot among ODI bowlers.
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