Virat Kohli replaces Aaron Finch as No 1 batsman in T20 Internationals

DUBAI: Virat Kohli was today rewarded for his stupendous performance in India's clean sweep against Australia in the T20 internationals as he replaced Aaron Finch as the top-ranked batsman in the ICC list for the shortest format.

According to the latest list released by the ICC, Kohli who had scores of 90 not out, 59 not out and 50 in the three-match series, gained 47 ratings points to move ahead of Finch with 892 ranking points to his credit.

Finch gained 14 points himself thanks to scores of 44 and 74 in Adelaide and Melbourne, but his hamstring injury in game two ruled him out of the final match of the series at the SCG on Sunday.

India's Suresh Raina moved up three places to 13th after his impressive series, while opener Rohit Sharma also moved up four places to be placed 16th in the list.

David Warner, who scored 17 in the opening match before heading to New Zealand for the one-day international series against the Black Caps, dropped six spots to 18th.

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine, who is currently banned by the ICC due to an illegal bowling action, retained top spot in the bowling rankings ahead of fellow Windies slow bowler Samuel Badree.

The latest rankings also confirmed India's ascension to No.1 in the world, while Australia have plummeted to eighth spot following the 3-0 series defeat. The new rankings come as all nations fine-tune their preparation for the World T20 in India in March and April, the sixth version of the Twenty20 international showpiece event.