Pakistan captain Babar Azam has surpassed India's Virat Kohli in becoming the world No.1 T20I batter for the longest period of time after he maintained his top spot in the latest ICC T20 batting rankings.
On the occasion of his 32nd birthday, social media was flooded with tributes for the Indian cricket team
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
While Sachin Tendulkar's 2013 farewell became a national pilgrimage, a vibrant celebration befitting a cricketing deity, the exits of many other Indian icons this century have been quieter journeys into the twilight.
SL executed their plans well against the Indian batters, who are not the cleverest performers on rank turners, while not many are though.
This is Ravichandran Ashwin's sixth stint at the top of the rankings. He first became number one in December 2015.
'He is a brilliant player, the way he started in one-day cricket, he has been exceptional. He has been a huge part of India's success at top of the order.'
Kohli is also the fourth most followed sportsperson on Instagram
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (716) is next in Rashid's sights, though Josh Hazlewood (792) boasts a strong margin at the top of the list.
In the all-rounders' list, Ravindra Jadeja is placed 10th, while the top spot continues to be held by Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
'The 2018 series win in Australia stands out in his captaincy.'
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who were rested for the series, slipped one place each to 8th and 9th respectively.
The message to him from coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma has been to take his time before playing his natural explosive game, Suryakumar Yadav said.
'Five spinners, Siraj ignored for Rana, and Jaiswal dropped. Brain-faded captain and coach combo!'
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Bumrah was placed at the second position with 719 points in the bowling chart.
Indian players retained their numero uno status in the International Cricket Council's ODI Women's Rankings with Mithali Raj leading the batting chart and Jhulan Goswami heading the bowling list issued on Wednesday.
India captain Virat Kohli continues to top the ICC One-Day International batting chart while his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gained three positions to be placed 12th in the latest rankings.
Kohli and Sharma were sitting pretty with 857 and 825 points respectively in the batting list
Ravindra Jadeja continues to jointly head the bowlers' list, while Virat Kohli is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at fourth in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
An outdated batting approach, dismal performance of the spinners, lack of back-up options and selection blunders have led to another early World Cup exit for the forever unpredictable Pakistan unit.
Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the finest cricketers of his time. He is currently on the top of the batting rankings in the ODI format and at the second place in Tests rankings.
Rohit Sharma didn't expect the Kensington Oval track to deteriorate so much but defended his decision to promote ODI specialists ahead of him and Virat Kohli.
England will climb to the top of the One-Day International (ODI) world rankings if they can maintain their fine form in the format, all-rounder Ben Stokes said after the side completed a series victory in Bangladesh.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized Babar Azam for focusing on personal milestones over team success, expressing concerns about Pakistan's preparations ahead of their crucial Champions Trophy clash against India. He believes Pakistan's recent struggles, including a disappointing Tri-Nation Series campaign and a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in a home Test series, point to a lack of readiness for the India encounter.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned to the top five in the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen following a consistent performance with the bat in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against Pakistan.
Suryakumar Kumar is within striking distance of England batter Dawid Malan in the race to hold the highest rating of all time for men's T20I batters.
Gilchrist is one of five Australian batsmen now in the top 10 along with Ponting, Symonds, Hussey and Clarke.
In the bowlers' list, Jhulan Goswami at fifth position is the lone Indian in top-10, while Deepti Sharma holds an identical slot in the all-rounder's category.
India's pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah's absence will certainly hurt India, but the team's quality batting and spin bowling make them title contenders alongside South Africa and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
Chasing 305 for victory, England were pushed on the backfoot when they were reduced to 11/2 early in the chase. But a partnership of 156 between Brook and Will Jacks (84 in 82 balls, with nine fours and a six) swung the tide in the hosts' favour.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
India's batting maestro Virat Kohli held on to the number two position in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batsmen released on Monday, while Rohit Sharma dropped a place to seventh.
India's R Ashwin back in top-10 in ICC's ODI bowling rankings
'Your passion for the game, your sportsmanship and your trademark smile will be missed.'
Poor application and their failure to build substantial partnerships was the reason for India's downfall while chasing a target of 270 in the third ODI against Australia, said captain Rohit Sharma.
Suryakumar Yadav has dropped one spot to fourth place in the latest ICC Men's T20I Players Rankings
However, no Indian bowler figure in the top-10 list. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (13th) is the lone Indian in top 15.
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