Rahul, Yadav in top 10 of ICC rankings

Dubai, March 12 - Lokesh Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav are the only Indians in the top 10 of the batting and bowling rankings, respectively, in the latest ICC Twenty20 International (T20I) rankings released here on Tuesday.

Rahul is at the fifth place in the batting, which is headed by Pakistan star Babar Azam. New Zealand's Colin Munro is at the second spot while the Australian duo of Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch are third and fourth, respectively.

Among other batsmen, England's Jonny Bairstow's 117 runs in the series have seen him reach 55th place with a career-best points tally of 445. 

Sam Billings's match-winning knock of 87 in the second T20I and an aggregate of 105 runs have lifted him 56 places to 84th position.

Yadav is also at the fifth spot among the bowlers. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan is at the top with Pakistan's Shadab Khan, Adil Rashid of England and Pakistan's Imad Wasim occupying the next three positions.

Rashid has equalled his career-best third place in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings for bowlers even as a host of England bowlers strode up the list after their comprehensive 3-0 series victory over the West Indies.

Rashid's five wickets in the series have helped him gain two slots and cross the 700-point mark for the first time in his career during this series. Chris Jordan has also equalled his career best 10th position after grabbing six wickets in the series, the first time he finds himself in the top 10 since September 2017, while David Willey is at a career-best 11th position after also finishing with six wickets.

For the West Indies, left-hander Nicholas Pooran has gained 18 slots to reach 79th place among batsmen, while left-arm spinner Fabian Allen (up 33 places to 72nd) and left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell (up 15 places to 79th) are the notable gainers in the bowlers' list.

In the ICC Men's T20I team Rankings, England have leapfrogged South Africa and Australia to reach third position, while the West Indies remain in seventh position despite losing three points. 

In an upcoming series, South Africa have a chance to move up to 120 points if they win 3-0 against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Sri Lanka can gain as many as seven points if they are able to win by the same margin.

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IANS