Kanpur: Indian batsman Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during the 1st ODI match between India and South Africa at Green Park in Kanpur on Oct 11, 2015. (Photo: IANS)
Dubai, Jan 24 (IANS) Indias Rohit Sharma jumped eight places to a career-best fifth position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) One-Day International (ODI) batsmen rankings, released on Sunday, having aggregated 441 runs in the just-concluded five-match series against Australia Down Under, while his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped seven places to 13th spot.
The Mumbai right-hander had scores of 171 not out, 124, 6, 41 and 99, respectively, in the series which the world champion and number-one ranked side won 4-1.
Rohit, who played in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2006 in Sri Lanka, has now become Indias second highest-ranked batsman behind Virat Kohli (second), with captain Dhoni slipping seven places to 13th position in the latest rankings. The 34-year-old could manage only 86 runs in five matches.
Rohit, who was declared Player of the Series, earned 59 points for his performances and he is now 64 points behind Kohli, who trails number-one ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa by 75 points.
Shikhar Dhawan, the left-handed opening partner of Rohit, maintained his seventh spot after scoring 287 runs in the series.
Australias dominant performance in the series is reflected in the fact that Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith have improved their rankings, while David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and John Hastings have achieved a career-high ranking.
Maxwell, who scored 169 runs in the series, has moved up two places to eighth, Smiths 315 runs have helped him rise five places to 15th, and Warner has jumped five places to 18th after scoring 220 runs.
Outside the top 20, Ajinkya Rahane has moved up three place to 25th after contributing 141 runs, and Marsh has rocketed 21 places to 43rd after scoring 164 runs.
The series, in which a total of 3,159 runs were scored, proved to be a difficult one for the bowlers and this is reflected in the latest ODI bowlers' rankings in which most of the top-ranked bowlers have been unable to defend their pre-series rankings.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has dropped two places to 11th, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has slipped seven places to 20th, James Faulkner has plummeted seven places to 28th, Axar Patel has fallen four places to 33rd and Umesh Yadav has plunged five places to 41st.
The only bowlers inside the top 50 to improve their rankings are Indias Ravindra Jadeja, who is in 22nd place (up by two places), and Hastings, who is sitting in 49th position (up by 62 places). Outside the top 50, Ishant Sharma has gained 15 places and is now in 71st spot.
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc missed the series against India, resulting in him dropping from the number-one position. Starc had moved to the top after he bowled Australia to the ICC Cricket World Cup victory last year in March.
Starcs slip means New Zealands Trent Boult will start the three-match series against Pakistan as the number-one ranked bowler. He leads Bangladeshs Shakib Al Hasan, in second place, by seven points.
In the series against Pakistan, New Zealand will have an opportunity to move ahead of third-ranked South Africa. However, to make it happen, they will have to win all three matches against Pakistan.
Since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Pakistan has played 18 ODIs in which they have won eight and lost nine (one no-result). In contrast, New Zealand has played 16 ODIs in the same period and has won eight and lost seven (one no-result). In this background, there is very little to choose between the two sides, which are separated by 24 points on the ICC ODI Team Championship table.
Meanwhile, India, after winning the fifth and final ODI, have retained their second position on the ICC ODI Team Championship. They trail Australia by 15 points but are just one point ahead of South Africa, who will play five ODIs against sixth-ranked England from February 3-14.
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