Kohli retains second spot in ODI batsmen rankings

India’s Virat Kohli retained his second spot in the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen but Australian opener David Warner was breathing down his neck with just two points behind in the chart issued on Saturday.

Warner cut Kohli’s earlier 62 point lead to just two following a stellar performance in the Chappell-Hadlee series.

The fight for the No.1 ranking will resume next month when Kohli is expected to feature in the three-match series against England (January 15-23), Warner will take the field against Pakistan in the five-match series (January 13-26) and de Villiers is set to lead South Africa in the five-ODI series against Sri Lanka (January 28 to February 10).

Trent Boult, who was the leading wicket-taker in the series with eight wickets, has retained his No.1 ranking. He leads South Africa’s Imran Tahir by eight points, with West Indies’ Sunil Narine one more point behind in third position. There is no change to the all-rounders’ list, which is headed by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, followed by Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Nabi, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh.

On the ICC ODI Team Rankings, No.1 ranked Australia has moved up from 118 points to 120 points, while New Zealand has dropped behind India in fourth position.