Three Indian batsmen amongst top 10 in ICC rankings

Dubai: Indian batsmen dominate the ICC T20Irankings with Virat Kohli being the highest-placed in fourth position in the latest chart issued here today. Virat is followed by Suresh Raina (5th) and Yuvraj Singh (6th) in the batsmen's list. However, no Indian bowler features in the list of top 20 performers.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will start as the number-one ranked side followed by India. Sri Lanka, runner-up in 2009 and 2012, is atop the table with 129 ratings points, leading number-two ranked and 2007 champion India by six ratings points.

In fact, eight ratings points separate the top three sides with 2009 winner Pakistan in third position with 121 ratings points. Sri Lanka launches their campaign on March 22 against South Africa in the Super 10 stage of the tournament while India take on arch-rivals Pakistan on March 21.

Defending champion West Indies will start off in sixth place with 110 ratings points. They will launch the title defence against India on March 23. The tournament also offers an excellent opportunity to Associate teams to move up the ladder. The competition carries a total prize money of USD three million, with the winning side taking home USD 1.1 million and the runner-up collecting USD 550,000.

Australia batsman Aaron Finch has moved up two places to claim the number-one position for T20I batsmen released after his side won the second T20Is of the three-match series to go 2-0 up against South Africa. Finch, who entered the series in third position with 772 ratings points, has gained 25 ratings points after scoring 44 runs in the two matches of the series to go top of the batting table for the first time in his career.

Finch has leapfrogged New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum (now second) and England's Alex Hales in third. Hales himself scored 81 runs in three-match series against West Indies.

Netherlands' Michael Swart (22nd) is the highest-ranked Associate Member batsman on the rankings table. In T20I bowlers, West Indies spinner Samuel Badree has jumped 13 places to a career-best second. Badree claimed four wickets in the three-match series against England at an average of 8.25. This effort has helped Badree gain 116 ratings points to help him finish on a best-ever 746 ratings points.

This means the defending champion start with two bowlers who occupy the top spots with off-spinner Sunil Narine holding the coveted number-one position. Narine leads Badree by just one point. The top 10 of the bowlers' table features nine spinners with Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara the lone fast bowler in ninth position. Ireland left-arm spinner George Dockrell in 12th is the only bowler from the Associate nations to feature inside the top 20 of the bowlers' table.