Kohli starts at No. 2 ODI batsman behind de Villiers in NZ series

Dubai: India’s Virat Kohli will start the series in New Zealand as the highest-ranked batsman on either side.

Kohli is currently in second position in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen with 859 ratings points, just 13 behind number-one ranked AB de Villiers.

A good show with the bat for Kohli could see him reclaim the number-one rank he last held in November 2013.

In all, India has three batsmen in the top 10, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni in sixth place and Shikhar Dhawan in tenth spot.

Inside the top 20, Ross Taylor in 16th and Rohit Sharma in 18th place are the other batsmen likely to be seen in action.

Outside the top 20, the batsmen likely to play the series are Suresh Raina (22nd), Brendon McCullum (23rd), Martin Guptill (24th) and Kane Williamson (31st).

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja in sixth position will be the highest ranked bowler on either side in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers. In fact, Jadeja is also the only player in the top 10 of the bowlers’ table who is likely to feature in the series.

Among the top 20 bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin (16th) and Kyle Mills (17th) are the others likely to feature in the series.

Outside the top 20, the bowlers likely to play are Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (24th), Tim Southee (26th), Nathan McCullum (28th), Mitchell McClenaghan (29th), Amit Mishra (39th), Mohammed Shami (41st) and Ishant Sharma (50th).