What is ex-skipper Virat Kohli's latest ICC T20I ranking after MCG knock against Pakistan?

They say form is temporary but class remains permanent. Virat Kohli on Sunday proved this saying by scoring a match-winning half-century against Pakistan in Melbourne. Kohli finished the match unbeaten on 82 runs off just 53 balls.  As a result of the match-winning knock, the India skipper has made a huge jump in the ICC ranking for the T20I format.

Virat Kohli on the march in the list of world's top T20I batsmen

Following the match-winning knock against Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Virat Kohli moved up five spots to ninth in the latest ICC T20I rankings that were released on Wednesday. It took just two months for Kohli to break inside the top 10 having struggled to score runs throughout this year. The 33-year-old ranked 35th in the ICC T20I rankings for batsmen in August. Virat Kohli had fallen outside the top 10 for the first time in months in November 2021 after a disappointing run in the T20 World Cup last year.

He returned to the top 10 in February earlier this year but once again his poor form with the bat saw him drop down in the rankings. The former India skipper took a month-long break from cricket before making his return at the Asia Cup. Not only did he score his 71st international century but finished the tournament on a high as the second-highest run-scorer.

Which other players improved their T20I rankings?

Mohammad Rizwan maintained the top spot despite his poor outing against India. Devon Conway jumped three places in the ICC T20I rankings to move to the second spot following his unbeaten 92 against Australia in the first match of the T20 World Cup 2022. Suryakumar Yadav had a rare failure during India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match as a result of which he slipped down to third place in the ranking. Pakistan skipper Babar Azam slips down to No 4.

Here are the latest ICC T20I Rankings:

1. Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) - 849 points
2. Devon Conway (New Zealand) - 831 points
3. Suryakumar Yadav (India) - 828 points
4. Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 799 points
5. Aiden Markram (South Africa) - 762 points
6. Dawid Malan (England) - 754 points
7. Aaron Finch (Australia) - 681 points
8. Pathum Nissanka (Sri Lanka) - 658 points
9. Virat Kohli (India) - 635 points
10. Muhammad Waseem (UAE) - 626 points