Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam has moved ahead of the former Indian captain, Virat Kohli, in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batter rankings.
Kohli, who had a dismal time in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka has moved down four positions and is now ranked number nine in the world while Babar has moved up to the eighth spot.
Babar is now ranked ahead of Kohli in all three formats of the game as Kohli’s torrid run with the bat continues. Babar, on the other hand, has been in sublime touch and has scored his highest Test score in Pakistan’s ongoing Test match against Australia.
The latest ICC rankings do not include Babar’s marathon innings in the second Test against Australia and it is expected that his ranking will further improve after the conclusion of the match. Babar has crossed the 150-run mark as Pakistan look to chase down a record total at National Stadium Karachi.
Meanwhile, Kohli has not been unable to score a century in over three years, having scored his last international century in 2019.
Let’s have a look at the latest Test batter rankings:
| Ranking | Player | Rating Points |
| 1 | Marnus Labuschagne | 936 |
| 2 | Joe Root | 872 |
| 3 | Steve Smith | 851 |
| 4 | Kane Williamson | 844 |
| 5 | Dimuth Karunaratne | 781 |
| 6 | Rohit Sharma | 754 |
| 7 | Travis Head | 753 |
| 8 | Babar Azam | 743 |
| 9 | Virat Kohli | 742 |
| 10 | Rishabh Pant | 738 |