Kohli, De Villiers 'in tussle' for No.1 spot on ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen

Kohli De VilliersIslamabad, Nov 19  : Indian batting star Virat Kohli and South African ODI captain AB de Villiers are reportedly locked in a battle for the number-one batting position on the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.

With only eight rating points separating number-one ranked Kohli from de Villiers, the forthcoming series between South Africa and India offers both of them with an opportunity to either retain or reclaim the top position.

According to the Daily Times, while India will play the West Indies in a three-match ODI series from November 21-27, South Africa will play host to Pakistan in a three-match ODI series from November 24-30.

The report mentioned that both Kohli, who replaced Hashim Amla as the top batsman at the end of the series against Australia in November 2013, and De Villiers could potentially make the most of the home conditions in their quest for the ICC spot during their respective home games.

According to the report, De Villiers has been a number-one ranked batsman previously, with June 2013 being the last time he was ranked number-one and will enter the home series in second position after gaining three places following stellar performances against Pakistan in the UAE.

Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal has maintained his hold on the number-one rank in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers with West Indies' Sunil Narine in second and India 's Ravindra Jadeja in third place, the report added. (ANI)