A fine performance by Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan saw them make considerable gains in the ICC ODI Players Rankings and ensuring that India would have three batsmen in the top-5.
Sharma, who led India in the Asia Cup in the absence of top-ranked Virat Kohli, jumped two spots to second position making it a 1-2 for the Indians in the ranking list. This is the second time that the 31-year-old opener has occupied the spot, having first reached their in July this year.
Sharma aggregated 317 runs while Dhawan topped the tournament with 342 runs to gain four slots and reach fifth position. The pair was rested in India’s last Super Four match which ended in a tie against Afghanistan but still led the run aggregate, thanks largely to a 210-run partnership in the Super Four match against Pakistan in which Sharma slammed an unbeaten 111 and Dhawan scored 114.
Another India player to gain in the latest rankings was spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has advanced three places to take a career-best third position after finishing as the joint-highest wicket taker along with Bangladesh’s fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, all of who finished with 10 wickets each.
Rashid Khan becomes world’s top-ranked ODI all-rounder
Rashid Khan’s Asia Cup performance also saw him displace former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan from the top of the all-rounders’ list. He has become the first Afghanistan player and 32nd overall to reach top position in the list with a jump of six places.
Rashid’s success with the ball saw him cross the 800-point mark during the tournament, which saw in action five of the 10 teams to fight it out in next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, and he also chipped in with 87 runs to reach a career-best 97th position among batsmen.
Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad gained 19 slots to reach 36th position, his highest in two years, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman gained 15 slots to reach eighth position.
For Bangladesh, wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim attained a career-best 16th position, while Liton Das advanced 107 positions to reach 116th rank after his fine century in the final. Mustafizur has moved up four places to take 12th position among bowlers.
Pakistan left-hander Imam-ul-Haq gained 15 places to reach a career-best 27th position while Shoaib Malik gained 12 slots to reach 42nd position. Junaid Khan has gained seven slots to reach 30th position among bowlers.
In the ICC ODI Team Rankings, Afghanistan have gained five points while Pakistan and Sri Lanka have lost three points each. India have also gained one point, but there has been no change in positions in the list led by England, who host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 from 30 May to 14 July.
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