New Zealand captain Kane Williamson enters the New Year as the top-ranked test batsman after leapfrogging Australia’s Steve Smith and India skipper Virat Kohli in the latest official rankings.
Kohli, who missed the Boxing Day Test against Australia due to paternity leave, finished the year at No. 2 while Smith, who made scores of 8 and 0 in his last two innings, dropped to No. 3.
Williamson last earned the No. 1 ranking in 2015 after which the top spot alternated between Kohli and Smith. Ajinkya Rahane, who hit a century in the second Test against Australia, moved up five spots to No. 6
