Kohli inches closer to number one ODI batter spot in fresh ICC rankings
Dubai (PTI): India great Virat Kohli’s push to regain the top ODI batter spot received a boost as he moved up to the second place in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
Kohli hasn't held the No.1 position for ODI batters since he was displaced by Pakistan's Babar Azam in April 2021.
But the right-hander is closing in on the top spot following his superb recent efforts for India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
The 37-year-old was adjudged Player of the Series for his 302 runs across the three matches and he was duly rewarded on the latest set of rankings as he improved two places to second overall behind teammate Rohit Sharma.
Rohit amassed 146 runs across the series to hold on to his spot at the top of the rankings, with Kohli closing to within eight rating points on the back of his unbeaten innings of 65 not out in the series finale in Visakhapatnam.
It helped India clinch the three-match series 2-1.
India ODI skipper Shubman Gill retained his fifth spot despite missing the three-match series while stand-in skipper KL Rahul rose two places to 12th overall after making two fifties in the rubber.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav moved up three spots to third in the bowlers' chart.
South Africa trio of Quinton de Kock (up three rungs to 13th), Aiden Markram (up four places to 25th) and Temba Bavuma (up three spots to 37th) also made gains on the rankings for ODI batters.
In the T20I rankings, the trio of Axar Patel (up two spots to 13th), Arshdeep Singh (up three places to 20th) and Jasprit Bumrah (up six rungs to 25th) made gains, following their comprehensive 101-run victory in Cuttack.
All of them had a good outing in the first T20I, taking two wickets apiece as India bowled out the Proteas for 74, their lowest-ever total in the shortest format.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who recently scored his maiden ODI hundred against SA in Visakhapatnam, remained the top ranked Indian batter in the Test rankings at number eight while Gill and Rishabh Pant have moved a step each to 11th and 13th respectively.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has made a big jump on the latest rankings for Test bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah.
The left-armer moved up three spots to third overall on the back of consecutive Player of the Match performances during the first two Ashes Tests against England.
Starc has 18 wickets from the two contests and finds himself moving to a new career-high rating and a best-ever ranking of third as a result.
The Indian trio of Mohammad Siraj (12th), Ravindra Jadeja (13th) and Kuldeep (14th) have all climbed up a spot.
England's lack of runs Down Under sees Harry Brook drop two places to fourth overall on the list for Test batters, with Kane Williamson (second) and Steve Smith (third) each gaining one spot behind Joe Root, who made a hundred in the Brisbane Test, at the top.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
