Bengaluru, January 18: ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 Virat Kohli has become only the second India batsman after Sunil Gavaskar to reach the 900-point mark in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
Gavaskar had achieved the milestone after his 50th Test when he scored 13 and 221 at The Oval in 1979 to jump from 887 points to 916 points.
Kohli, who recorded his 21st century at Centurion, achieved the rare feat in his 65th Test after vaulting from 880 points to 900 points.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are the other two India batsmen who came close to the 900-point mark, but were unable to break the barrier. Tendulkar peaked at 898 points in 2002, while Dravid achieved 892 points in 2005.
Steve Smith and Hasan Ali also among the winners of the 2017 ICC awards. https://t.co/GxxnBrpx61 #ICCAwards @icc
— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) January 18, 2018
BREAKING: On the day he was named ICC Cricketer of the Year, @imVkohli has become the second India batsman after Sunil Gavaskar to reach 900 points in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Batting Rankings!
— ICC (@ICC) January 18, 2018
➡️ https://t.co/Q9fT3BLIos pic.twitter.com/SEdczeqKDm
Kohli is only the 31st batsman in the history of Test cricket to reach 900 points. Don Bradman sits on top of the table with 961 points, followed by Steve Smith (947), Len Hutton (945), Ricky Ponting and Jack Hobbs (both 942 points).
In doing so, Kohli has also leapfrogged Joe Root of England into second position as the top four positions continue to be occupied by Test captains. Kohli trails Smith by 47 points but now leads Root by 19 points, who, in turn, leads Kane Williamson by 26 points.
In the bowlers' table, Kagiso Rabada's reign as the number-one ranked Test bowler has lasted just one Test as he has slipped behind James Anderson following an ordinary performance by his high standards.
Rabada had figures of one for 74 and three for 47, which were not enough to keep him ahead of Anderson as he has dropped 16 points to now trail Anderson by 15 points.