Twitter Reactions: Virat Kohli trumps Steve Smith to become the No. 1 Test batsman

The Indian batsman has topped the Test rankings for the first time since June 2011.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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Virat Kohli
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Virat Kohli celebrates his century. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The Indian captain Virat Kohli has rocketed to the number 1 position in the latest ICC Test Rankings for batsmen after his tremendous batting effort in Edgbaston Test. It was unfortunate that he ended up on the losing side but the rankings have taken care of him. He raced past Steve Smith who is currently a 12-month ban for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal and is leading him by 5 points.

Kohli earned almost 30 rating points after his superb batting in the first Test of the five-match series and cleared all the doubts in the critics’ mind who were questioning his credentials ahead of the tour. He had endured a miserable tour to England in 2014 when he had managed to score only 134 runs in 10 innings at a mediocre average of 13.40. But he has begun the tour this time with a bang and will be keen to make the difference in the rest of the series as well.

Heroic first innings

Virat Kohli’s first innings century was special. He came in to bat with his team on 54/2 and soon it became 100/5. He was tested by his nemesis James Anderson outside the off-stump over after over but he kept leaving the ball. Once he got the hold of the conditions, there was no stopping Kohli as he played a magnificent knock of 149 runs. What made it so special was the way he played with the tail.

Moreover, he also tried his best by scoring a half-century in the chase as well. But the continued failures of other batsmen led to India losing the game by just 31 runs. Nevertheless, becoming the number 1 Test batsman should inspire him to continue playing in the same vein.

It will also help him to strengthen his position at the top. As far as the fans are concerned, this is the first time since June 2011, an Indian batsman has become the best batsman in the longest format of the game. Undoubtedly, the fans were thrilled to bits to see Kohli at the top and they congratulated him by flooding in their wishes on social media.

Here’s how they reacted:

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