Kohli, Rohit consolidate top batting positions; Bumrah leads bowlers pack in ICC ODI rankings
Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma consolidated their top two positions in the batting chart, while pace ace Jasprit Bumrah continued to lead among bowlers in the ICC ODI Rankings issued on Monday.
Following their stellar performances against Australia in the just-concluded series, which India won 2-1, Kohli (No.1) and Rohit (No.2) have strengthened their positions.
With 183 runs under his belt against Australia, Kohli was the player-of-the-series while Rohit was a close second, garnering 171 runs in the rubber, including a match-winning 119 in the deciding ODI in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Kohli (886 points) and Rohit (868 points) have gained two and three ratings points, respectively to occupy the top two positions in the batting rankings.
Pakistan's Babar Azam is in third position with 829 points, the ICC said in a statement.
Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan has also gained seven slots to reach 15th position with 170 runs in two innings, missing a chance to bat in Bengaluru after injuring his shoulder while fielding.
K L Rahul, who opened in his place in the final ODI, has gained 21 slots to reach 50th position with an aggregate of 146 runs.
Bumrah, who returned from injury in the Australia series, is atop the bowlers chart with 764 points, ahead of New Zealand left-arm pacer Trent Boult and Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman. South Africa's Kagiso Rabada and Australian Pat Cummins complete the top five.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has moved up two slots to be 27th among bowlers after finishing with four wickets in the series. He also scored 45 runs in two innings and has gained four places in the all-rounders' list to be ranked 10th.
Australian Steve Smith, who topped the series with an aggregate of 229 runs including a knock of 131 in the final ODI, has been rewarded with a four-place jump to 23rd position.
David Warner, a formerly top-ranked batsman in the format, has also moved up one place to sixth while captain Aaron Finch has moved up one place into 10th. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey is in 31st position after gaining two slots.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa's five wickets in the series saw him advance 20 places to reach 37th position, while Kane Richardson has moved from 77th to 65th.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Extensions in service setback to those who are in line: Vice President Dhankhar
Bengaluru, Jan 11: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday that extensions in service, in any form for a particular post is a setback to those who are in line.
Dhankhar was delivering the inaugural address at the 25th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commission being held in Bengaluru.
According to him, extension of service indicates that some individuals are indispensable.
"Indispensability is a myth. Talent abounds in this country. No one is indispensable. And therefore, it lies in the domain of public service commissions at the state and the central level that when they have a role in such kinds of situations, they must be firm," added the VP.
He also said public service commissions' appointments cannot be driven by patronage, or by favouritism.
"We cannot have a public service commission Chairman or a member, wedded to a particular ideology or an individual. That will be undoing the essence and spirit of the framework of the constitution," said Dhankhar.
The Vice-President also frowned upon post-retirement recruitment and said it is antithetical to what was visualised by framers of the Constitution.
"In some states, it has been structured. Employees never retire, particularly those in the premium services. They get a number of ad-hoc nomenclatures. This is not good. Everyone in the country must have due and that due is defined by law," said the VP.
The VP also said fairness of selection has no meaning if paper leakages occur.
"Paper leakage has become an industry, a form of commerce. This is a menace that must be curbed," he added.
He commended the initiative the government has taken in this regard, with the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024.
The Vice President is also of the view that although it is "India's century", without a "calm political atmosphere" India will not really gain.
A vitiated political climate is far more dangerous than the climate change we are facing, he pointed out.
"Our polity at the moment is too divisive, too polarised. Interaction is not taking place at the premium level in political organisations."
The solution, according to him, is harmony in polity.
"Harmony is imperative. If there is no harmony in polity, if the polity is polarized, deeply divisive, with no communication channels functioning, imagine you are in an earthquake, you are lost and you have no connection with the outside world, things will be terrible for you," he added.
He also said for India to stand strong, we need strong institutions.
"Any institution, if it is weakened, the damage is to the entire nation. Weakening of an institution is like a prick on the body. The entire body will be in pain," said Dhankhar.
To build strong institutions, he added, states and Union governments must work in tandem.
"They must be in synergetic mode. They must be in sync with one another when it comes to national interest," said the VP.
Noting that discussion is deeply rooted in our civilizational ethos, the Vice President urged senior leadership for all political parties, irrespective of their ideologies, to "enhance dialogue, believe in consensus and always be ready for deliberation".
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was also present on the occasion, said Public Service Commissions are pillars of democracy, upholding meritocracy and fairness, and contributing immensely to governance.
"Karnataka has a rich history in public administration, starting with the Mysore Civil Services (MCS) examination initiated by Dewan Sir K Seshadri Iyer in 1892. This pioneering step set the foundation for a cadre of distinguished administrators, a legacy Karnataka continues to uphold with pride," he added.
He said tackling challenges such as paper leaks remains a top priority for Karnataka today. He also said learning from the best practices of other states and leveraging advanced technologies like artificial intelligence will make recruitment more transparent and corruption-free.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot; Chairman of UPSC Preeti Sudan and Chairman of Karnataka Public Service Commission Shivashankarappa S Sahukar were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.
