Virat Kohli regains No.1 spot in ODI rankings

Virat Kohli’s outstanding run in One Day International cricket has helped him reclaim the top position in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings for the first time since July 2021. The Indian star surged to No.1 after a match-winning knock of 93 off 91 balls in the opening ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara.

Kohli’s innings laid the foundation for India’s victory in the first match of the three-game series and saw him overtake teammate Rohit Sharma at the top of the rankings. This marks the 11th occasion in Kohli’s career that he has led the ICC ODI batting charts, underlining his sustained excellence in the format.

The 35-year-old’s return to peak form follows a brief lean patch. After registering back-to-back ducks against Australia in October last year, Kohli bounced back strongly with a fluent 74 in Sydney. He then carried his momentum into the home season, scoring 135, 102 and an unbeaten 65 in the ODI series against South Africa.

Kohli first became the world’s top-ranked ODI batter in October 2013 and has now spent a cumulative 825 days at No.1, the most by any Indian batter. He currently stands 10th on the all-time list, which is led by West Indies legend Viv Richards.

However, the competition at the top remains intense. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell is just one rating point behind Kohli after his aggressive 84 in the series opener, which lifted him to second place. Rohit Sharma has slipped to third, 10 points behind Kohli.

Elsewhere in the ODI rankings, K.L. Rahul moved up to 11th among batters, while Devon Conway climbed three spots to 29th. In the bowling rankings, Mohammed Siraj rose five places to 15th, and New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson jumped 27 spots to 69th.

In the ICC Men’s Test Rankings, Australia’s Travis Head and Steve Smith climbed to third and fourth respectively following their centuries in the final Ashes Test in Sydney. England’s Joe Root retained the top position after finishing as the series’ highest run-scorer, with Harry Brook holding on to second place. Among bowlers, Mitchell Starc moved up to third after his Player of the Series performance in the Ashes.