Kuldeep Yadav slips to third in ODI rankings, Kehsav Maharaj regains top spot
Dubai, Aug 20 (PTI): India wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has slipped to third place in the latest ICC ODI rankings for bowlers released on Wednesday with South African tweaker Kehsav Maharaj reclaiming the top position.
Maharaj regained the top position after helping his team beat Australia by 98 runs in the first ODI of their three-match series in Cairns.
The 35-year-old left-arm spinner, who was named Player of the Match after grabbing five for 33, overtook Kuldeep and Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana to the top spot, which he had earlier held briefly in November and December 2023.
Apart from Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja is the only Indian bowler who is in the top 10 in the updated list.
The Indian team has not played an ODI match since their title triumph in the Champions Trophy.
West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales was another one to make huge inroads in the bowling rankings after his superb haul of six for 18 in the final game of their three-match series against Pakistan, moving up 15 spots to 18th position.
Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed (up 15 places to joint-39th) and West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase (up five places to 58th) are others to move up the list.
In the men's batting rankings, Shubman Gill continues to top the list with 784 points, with Shreyas Iyer being the other Indian in the top 10 at sixth position.
West Indies captain Shai Hope is up two places to ninth position after scoring 120 not out in the final ODI against Pakistan while Aiden Markram (up four places to 21st), Temba Bavuma (up five places to 23rd) and Mitchell Marsh (up six places to 48th) are the others to progress.
In the men's T20I rankings, India's Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma remained on the top two places with skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the sixth spot and Yashasvi Jaiswal in 10th position.
South Africa's Dewald Brevis continues his upward movement, gaining nine spots to reach 12th position while Australians Marsh and Glenn Maxwell have progressed four and 10 spots, respectively, to reach 25th and 30th positions.
The T20I bowling rankings see Australia seamers Nathan Ellis (up three places to ninth position) and Josh Hazlewood (up two places to 18th) make significant gains, with South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada moving up from 44th to 37th position.
Keshav Maharaj ascends the throne atop the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings 🙌
— ICC (@ICC) August 20, 2025
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
