Virat Kohli closes in on top-spot in ICC ODI rankings, Rohit Sharma follows
Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has made significant progress in his quest to reclaim the top spot in the ICC ODI Player Rankings. Kohli, who delivered an outstanding performance in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, scoring 765 runs, has moved up one place to third in the latest rankings.
With just 35 rating points separating him from teammate Shubman Gill, who holds the top position with 826 rating points, Kohli is closing in on the top spot.
Despite Gill's narrow lead, Pakistan captain Babar Azam remains in second place with 824 rating points. Kohli's rise has pushed South Africa's Quinton de Kock down to fifth place, while India's captain Rohit Sharma has moved up one spot to fourth with 769 rating points. Kohli and Rohit Sharma emerged as the leading run-scorers in the World Cup, with Kohli breaking the record for the most ODI centuries.
During the World Cup, Kohli reached triple figures on three occasions, securing 791 rating points in the process. Gill and Babar, with 826 and 824 rating points respectively, are still at the top, but Kohli and Rohit are within striking distance following their stellar performances in the tournament.
Kohli held the No.1 ranking for an impressive 1258 consecutive days between 2017 and 2021. Babar had been in the top position in recent years until Gill claimed the spot during the World Cup. The rise of Kohli and Rohit has added excitement to the ODI batter rankings.
Australia's Travis Head has made a significant leap in the rankings, climbing 28 places to 15th after his brilliant century in the World Cup final. South Africa's Quinton de Kock drops to fifth, while New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell rises to sixth after scoring 552 runs in the tournament.
In the ODI bowler rankings, South Africa's Keshav Maharaj maintains his position at the top. Australia's Josh Hazlewood has risen four places to second, and Mitchell Starc has jumped eight spots to 12th. Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has improved seven places to 27th. Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah remain in the top 10. Kuldeep Yadav has dropped one spot to equal sixth.
In the ODI rankings for all-rounders, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan continues to lead comfortably. New Zealand's Mitchell Santner drops to seventh, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh rises to ninth.
Virat Kohli has made a push to dethrone his compatriot as the No.1 ODI batter 👀
— ICC (@ICC) November 22, 2023
The latest changes in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men's Player Rankings following the conclusion of #CWC23 👇https://t.co/RYJbtXlMD2
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
