India defeated England in the second T20
India defeated England in the second T20 Image Credit: PTI

Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli has moved back into the top five of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 rankings for batsmen. Kohli recorded unbeaten knocks of 73 and 77 in the second and third T20s against England.

The performances helped Kohli, who has had lengthy spells as the top ranked batsman in T20s in the past, rise to fifth in the standings.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer jumped 32 places to 31st while Rishabh Pant gained 30 places to reach 80th in the rankings. All-rounder Washington Sundar (up two places to 11th) and seam bowlers Shardul Thakur (up 14 places to 27th) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (up seven places to 45th) have moved up the list for bowlers.

England’s Dawid Malan retains the No. 1 rank among batsmen in T20s while Jos Buttler’s match-winning 83 not out in the third match has helped him advance five places to 19th position, just two shy of his career-best 17th position attained in October 2018.

Jonny Bairstow, who chipped in with 40 runs and was associated in an unbroken 77-run stand with Buttler in the eight-wicket win on Tuesday, has moved up two slots to 14th position in the list. Jason Roy has advanced four slots to 24th with scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches.