New Delhi:
Indian opener KL Rahul's two impressive knocks in the recently concluded two-match T20 series against Australia helped him climb to fifth in the latest ICC Rankings for T20 batsmen here Tuesday. Rahul, who made a comeback to international cricket after a brief suspension by the BCCI for his sexist comments on a TV show, scored 47 and 50 in the two matches and gained a spot in the latest rankings.
In the bowlers' list, Kuldeep Yadav, who was rested for two T20 Internationals, dropped a place to fifth.'
Pakistan's Babar Azam and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan remained in top positions in batsmen and bowlers' list respectively. Pakistan (135) enjoys a 13-point lead over second-placed India (122) with England remaining at third place with 121 points.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid has equaled his career-best third place in the latest rankings. Rashid's five wickets in the series against the West Indies have helped him gain two slots and cross the 700-point mark for the first time in his career during the series.
Meanwhile, India will be up against Australia for one final time in this series as the two teams will be locking horns for the decider game at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi on March 13. this will also be India's last assignment before the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. This remains to be seen if India can finish on a high and go into the most prestigious event of the year with a series win under their belt.
(With Inputs: PTI)
