Steve Smith reclaims No. 1 Test ranking from Kohli, Bumrah rises to 3rd spot among bowlers
Dubai, Sep 4: India skipper Virat Kohli lost his numero uno status after being toppled by Australia's Steve Smith in the batsman's chart, while Jasprit Bumrah rose to third position among bowlers in the latest ICC Test Rankings released on Tuesday.
Kohli slipped to No.2 spot following his first-ball duck in the Jamaica Test, while Smith returned to the top spot riding on his twin centuries in the first Ashes Test against England and 92 in the second match.
Among others, Ajinkya Rahane returned to top 10, rising four places to No.7, after following up his half-century and hundred in Antigua with another useful fifty in Jamaica.
Hanuma Vihari, described by Kohli as "the find of the series," shot up 40 places to No.30 after just six Tests following a fruitful West Indies tour.
With India beating West Indies by 257 runs in the second Test here on Monday, Kohli registered his 28th Test win from 48 matches, surpassing Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 27 wins from 60 Tests, to become the country's most successful captain in the longest format.
However, after having made 76 in the first innings of the second Test against the West Indies, Kohli made a first-ball duck in the second essay. He is yet to add to his 25 Test hundreds after three Tests this year.
That allowed Smith, who missed the third Test at Headingley, to open up a single-point lead in the latest rankings. He has a chance to extend that lead in the fourth Ashes Test, starting at Manchester on Wednesday.
Smith was on the top spot since December 2015. It was only in August 2018, when he was serving a ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, that Kohli overtook him after reaching career-high rating points in the series against England.
The Australian No.4 has fought his way back up the charts in his first series back from the ban, making twin centuries in the first Test against England and 92 in the second. He now averages 63.2 in Test cricket.
Kohli's next chance to challenge Smith will be in the home Test series against South Africa, starting on October 2.
In ICC Test rankings for bowlers, Bumrah, who is currently the No.1 ODI bowler, continued his impressive run to climb up to the third spot with a career-best 835 rating points.
Bumrah is now only behind Australia's Pat Cummins and South Africa's Kagiso Rabada.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder, who is already No.1 on the ICC Test rankings for all-rounders, rose seven places to join England's James Anderson at the fourth spot. He picked up six wickets in the second Test, including 5/77 in the first innings.
Among other movers in the bowling chart were India's Mohammed Shami (up one to No.18) and Ishant Sharma (up one to No.20).
Bumrah, who earlier in the series became the fastest Indian to pick up 50 Test wickets, has had an exceptional time in red-ball cricket since his debut in early 2018, racing to 62 wickets in just 12 matches.
In the just-concluded two Tests against the West Indies, Bumrah finished with 13 wickets at a strike rate of 9.23. That included figures of 5/7 in the first Test and a hat-trick in the first innings of the second Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica. India won the series 2-0.
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HK Dua, who helmed three of India's top dailies, passes away
New Delhi (PTI): HK Dua, a distinguished journalist and a veteran of Indian public life who held the rare distinction of helming editorial operations at three of India's leading newspapers, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88.
He breathed his last peacefully this afternoon at a private hospital, a member of his family said.
His cremation will take place at Lodhi Road crematorium on Thursday.
Dua was admitted to the hospital around three weeks ago. He was survived by wife Adity and son Prashant.
In a remarkable career spanning over four decades, Dua traversed the world of journalism, served as a media advisor to two prime ministers -- Atal Behari Vajpayee and HD Deve Gowda -- and transitioned into the roles of a diplomat and parliamentarian.
A Padma Bhushan recipient, Dua was known for his affable persona, sharp political insight and unwavering commitment to editorial independence. He commanded respect across the political spectrum.
Dua served as editor of The Hindustan Times (1987-94), Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express (1994-96) and The Tribune (2003-09) and Editorial Advisor for The Times of India (1997-98).
Born on July 1, 1937, Dua also served as India's ambassador to Denmark (2001-2003).
He was a nominated member of Rajya Sabha (2009-2015), where he contributed significantly to debates on foreign affairs and national security. He was also part of several high-profile parliamentary committees, including the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs.
A two-term president of the Editors' Guild of India and a steadfast defender of democratic values, Dua also served on the National Security Advisory Board and received honorary doctorates from Punjab and Kurukshetra Universities for his contributions to the Fourth Estate.
Apart from the Padma Bhushan, he received several awards, including the Durga Ratan award and the Bal Gangadhar Tilak award for excellence in journalism.
Leaders across the political spectrum and members of the media fraternity expressed condolences over Dua's demise.
"My deepest condolences on the passing of H K Dua, a distinguished journalist, diplomat, and Padma Bhushan recipient whose commitment to truth, editorial independence, and public service enriched public discourse," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on social media.
Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal said Dua upheld editorial independence with unwavering integrity, sharp insight, and commitment to democratic values.
"His contributions as a journalist and an editor across leading newspapers leave behind an enduring legacy," he said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said: "A journalistic giant has left us."
