Virat Kohli falls down ICC batting rankings with Steve Smith still top

Captain Virat Kohli is no longer the most important wicket in India’s Test side, at least according to the International Cricket Council’s rankings.

Kohli has slipped below team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara in the latest table released by the ICC. Australia skipper Steve Smith remains the top-ranked batsman in the world with 941 rating points out of a possible 1000.

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Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) are the only Test batsmen to have achieved a higher number of rating points than Smith in the history of the sport, according to the ICC’s formula.

Smith finished 178 not out in the first innings of the drawn third Test between Australia and India, only for Pujara to seize control of the game with a patient double-ton. Pujara (861) is now ranked second ahead of Joe Root (848), Kohli (826) and Kane Williamson (823).

Kohli has made headlines in recent weeks for his antics and allegations, but the firebrand has endured arguably his worst series with the bat. The right-hander has contributed just 46 runs at 9.20 from five innings. His lowest average in a completed Test series is 13.4 against England in 2014.

Ever since accusing Smith of “mind games” on the eve of the second Test, Kohli has adopted an antagonistic approach on and off the field in his dealings with the tourists.

“It’s probably come a lot more from their side than ours,” injured paceman Mitchell Starc told Fox Sports, regarding the tense moments in both the second and third Tests.

“They were scared of us, beating them in India the way they’ve been playing as well. So it was almost a defensive mechanism for them and obviously they come out in the second Test match, performed really well and got back into it.”

Nobody in the Australian camp is doubting Kohli’s potential to deliver a match-winning knock in the four-Test series decider that starts on Saturday.

Australia will retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy if they win or draw the final game in Dharamsala. There is also $US300,000 ($A389,490) in prize money at stake.

Australia will finish second on the ICC’s Test rankings if they win or draw the fourth Test, pocketing $US500,000. They risk slipping to third, and taking home $US200,000, if they lose.