Indian Players who topped the batting charts in Tests

It is said in cricket that players are generally not affected by the ranking system that is adopted by the International Cricket Council. The ICC ranks the players in all the three formats of the game according to their individual performances. But you cannot rule out the fact that every player definitely wants to reach the topmost position in the rankings at least once in his career.

As far as Indian cricket is concerned, it is lucky to have players who have acquired those top positions in the rankings by giving stellar performances for the team in their respective categories. These players have dominated the world cricket by their great performances which have not only helped them reach the top positions in the rankings but has also helped India become the number one team in the world.

The Indian batsmen have topped the batting charts and the current number one ranked batsmen in Tests is also an Indian. Virat Kohli, the current Indian captain has topped the batting charts after a stellar performance in the ongoing series against England.

In the following slides, we are going to have a look at the Indian players who topped the batting charts in Tests.

#5 Sachin Tendulkar

MCC v Rest of the World

Sachin Tendulkar, a name that cannot be forgotten whenever we talk about cricket. He is considered to be one of the greatest cricketers that have graced the game of cricket. Fondly called as 'The God' and 'Master Blaster', Sachin has so many records to his name that it is nearly impossible to list all of them in one go.

Among his many achievements, one of his achievement was securing the number one position in ICC Test rankings. He played in an era where many batting greats fought for that coveted position. Still, he had that talent and that hunger to score runs which helped him secure the top position in the rankings.

Sachin Tendulkar was ranked as the No 1 Test batsman for a total of 1157 days of his career, with a maximum rating of 898 points. He last achieved the feat in January 2011 when he shared the honors jointly with South Africa's Jacques Kallis.

#4 Rahul Dravid

India v England

Another name that cannot be forgotten whenever we talk about cricket especially Indian cricket. Popularly known as 'The Wall', he was the go-to man whenever the team was in trouble. He was one of those batsmen who always put his team ahead of himself. He was one of those few players who could do anything for his team.

He has all the qualities of a gentleman and it was his commitment to the team that stood out and set him apart from the other players. Dravid was always among the top performers in the format. He was first honoured with the No 1 Test batsman status quite early in his career before regaining the spot at later stages.

The middle-order batsman spent quite a long period as the world's premier batsman with a career highest rating of 892 points.

#3 Gautam Gambhir

Leicestershire v India - Tour Match

Gautam Gambhir has been one of the finest left-handed batsmen to have played for team India. It was a delight to watch this batsman from Delhi play when he was at his prime. He along with Sehwag formed a formidable opening pair for India in all the three formats of the game. His elegant batting style and his ability to bat under tough conditions was a highlight of his career.

It was 2009, especially, that proved to be a golden year for the southpaw. Gambhir rose to the top of the ICC Test rankings and with a career-best rating of 886 points, was the No 1 batsman for a brief period.

#2 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag of India

Virender Sehwag was one of those few batsmen who had the ability to instil fear even in the best of the bowlers of the world. HIs aggressive and fearless style of play was a highlight of his career. On his day, he could take any of the bowlers of the world to cleaners. He could single-handedly tear apart the bowling of the opposition with his aggressive batting. He had a strike rate of over 80 even in Tests where other batsmen struggled to manage a strike rate of even 60.

Hitting a six to get to a triple hundred clearly describes the state of mind of this batsman. With an unparalleled match-winning ability, the former Indian batsman also holds the record of being the only Indian batsman to score two triple hundreds in Test cricket.

Sehwag, with a career-best rating of 866 points, attained the merit of the world's best Test batsman in 2010 after his two successive centuries against Sri Lanka.

#1 Virat Kohli

England v India: Specsavers 3rd Test - Day Three

Virat Kohli, a name that automatically comes to your mind when you are talking about batting greats in the game of cricket. He is one of those players who needs no prior introduction because of what he has achieved in a career that has spanned for almost 10 years. He is just 29 at this point in time and has a lot to achieve in the future. Passionate is the word that best describes him the best. He has the capability to achieve even greater heights in the future.

It is very hard to find a player as dedicated and passionate as Kohli. His dynamic and aggressive approach to the game has paid rich dividends not only for him but also for team India. It's also the passion that defines Kohli's emotional, effervescent and at times firecracker character. Virat Kohli does not hold back and that remains his strength.

Thanks to his outstanding effort in the ongoing series, the Delhi lad has toppled Steve Smith from the top of the rankings to become the newly crowned No 1 batsman in Tests.

With a rating of 934 points, Kohli has also surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's career-best of 916 points, to emerge as India's highest-rated batsman. Also, he's the only Indian to achieve the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen since Sachin Tendulkar last achieved it in 2011.