Kohli has a chance of surpassing Smith in the third and final Test versus South Africa in Ranchi © Getty

India's Test captain Virat Kohli came within a point (936 points) of Steven Smith's Test batting rating points, after his colossal, career-best 254* in Pune in the second Test against South Africa.

Kohli, who has had a lean run of form by his standards, going 10 innings without a Test century, made up for it in Pune last week and ensured that his rating points, which had dipped below the 900 mark for the first time since January 2018 (when India toured South Africa). Consequently, he has inched closer to his career-best rating (937, in August 2018), and the number 1 spot to Steven Smith, by one rating point. Kohli stands a chance of reaching the summit of the batting rankings in the third and final Test against South Africa in Ranchi.

Mayank Agarwal has broken into the top 20 of the Test batting rankings for the first time, climbing up 8 spots to the 17th position, after scoring hundreds in successive Tests in a prolific run of form against South Africa in the ongoing Test series.

The rookie opener converted his maiden Test hundred into a double-century in the first Test match in Vizag, and followed it up with a hundred in the first innings on a testing, initially-seaming Pune pitch.