Virat Kohli is the first India batsman since Sachin Tendulkar in 2011 to be the top-ranked Test batsman. AP Photo
Virat Kohli is the first India batsman since Sachin Tendulkar in 2011 to be the top-ranked Test batsman. AP Photo

Virat Kohli rises to top of Test rankings as England call-up Ollie Pope for Dawid Malan



India captain Virat Kohli scaled to the top of the International Cricket Council Test batting rankings for the first time in his career when the latest edition was published on Sunday.

Kohli, already the world's top-ranked one-day batsman, found himself at the summit of the Test standings after scoring 149 - his maiden Test century in England - and 51 during the series opener at Edgbaston.

Unfortunately for Kohli, his impressive match haul of  could not prevent an India defeat by 31 runs, with England now 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Kohli's two innings boosted his ranking rating by 31 points and helped him end Steve Smith's 32-month reign as the top-ranked Test batsman in Test cricket.

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Read more:

Batting support for Virat Kohli a priority: Talking points ahead of Lord's Test

Paul Radley: England's 1,000th Test may not save five-day game but it will live long in memory

Virat Kohli: India captain urges teammates to remain 'positive and fearless' for second Test

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Former Australia captain Smith is currently serving a 12-month international ban for his role in a ball-tampering scandal during a Test against South Africa in March.

Kohli is now on top of the rankings for the first time in his 67-Test career that has yielded 5,754 runs at an average of 54.28, including 22 hundreds.

Kohli is the seventh Indian, and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to hold the No 1 Test batting position.

Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Dilip Vengsarkar are the other India batsmen to have held the top spot.

Meanwhile James Anderson, England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker, remained on top of an unchanged top-10 in the Test bowling rankings following his impressive display at Edgbaston.

Ahead of the second Test at Lord's on Thursday, England recalled Chris Woakes in place of Ben Stokes and brought in Ollie Pope to replace the dropped batsman Dawid Malan when they named a 13-man squad.

Stokes took three wickets on Saturday as England won a thrilling first Test, but the hosts have long known they would likely be without the all-rounder at Lord's because of his trial on a criminal charge of affray that starts in Bristol on Monday.

England have now replaced Stokes with fellow pace-bowling all-rounder Woakes, who missed out on a Test at his Warwickshire home ground because of concerns he had not then bowled enough overs following a return from a knee injury.

Middlesex batsman Malan was omitted after managing just 74 runs in five Test innings this season. At Edgbaston, he was out for eight and 20.

Pope, who in common with county teammate Sam Curran - the man-of-the-match at Edgbaston - is aged just 20, has been in fine form for Championship leaders Surrey this season.

He has scored 684 Championship runs at an average of 85.50, including three centuries.

"Ollie Pope has made an exceptional start to his first-class career," said England national selector Ed Smith.

"The selection panel believe that Ollie's performances and character suggest he is well suited to international cricket."

Former England batsman Smith added: "Dawid Malan drops out of the squad for Lord's. Dawid has not found his best rhythm this season, and it may be that his game is better suited to overseas conditions."

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

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July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.