Rohit Sharma is back on top of the ICC ODI rankings. Again. This time he didn’t even need to score runs to get there. Daryl Mitchell lost his points by sitting out two matches against West Indies. Rohit just stayed put and the throne came back to him. That’s how these things work sometimes. You win by simply outlasting everyone else. Now, with 781 points, he sits comfortably ahead of Mitchell’s 766.
But here’s what matters. South Africa is in India right now. They’ve played the Tests. Now the ODIs start November 30 in Ranchi. Three matches. And Rohit is standing there at 38, holding the world number one spot while the Proteas pace attack is warming up in his backyard.
Oldest Man at the Summit
Last month, Rohit became the oldest batter ever to hit world No.1 in ICC men’s rankings. He was 38 years and 182 days old. Sachin Tendulkar held that record before; 38 years and 73 days in Tests back in 2011. Rohit told everyone that age is just a number you put on official forms. What matters is what you do in the middle. After 276 matches and 18 years of international cricket, he finally owns that spot. Most players his age are planning farewell tours. Rohit is planning how to stay on top.
This is the first time he’ll walk onto the ground as the No.1-ranked ODI batter. After 18 years of being told he’s too talented to fail. After being dropped, moved around, asked to become something he wasn’t. He finally got there by just being stubborn. By refusing to leave.
Numbers That Shut You Up
Let’s talk numbers because Rohit’s numbers are ridiculous. Eleven thousand three hundred seventy ODI runs at 49.2 average. Ninety-two strike rate. Thirty-three centuries. Good, right?
Now watch what happens when he opens.
Nine thousand three hundred forty runs in just 187 innings. Thirty-one centuries. Average of 55.26. Strike rate of 96. That is not normal. That is a man who decided opening was his job and nobody else’s.
In 2025, Rohit has scored 504 ODI runs. That’s more than any other Indian batter. Not some youngster. Not some new sensation. The old man with the grey beard is outscoring everyone. And he’s the only Indian averaging above 50 this year. At an age when your knees are supposed to give up, Rohit is running the show.
South Africa: The Ghost That Won’t Leave Him
Now for the weird part. South Africa is the one team Rohit can’t figure out. His average against them is 33.58. That’s his worst against any full member team. The Proteas have something on him. Always have. Fast bouncy tracks, world-class pacers, and something in the air that doesn’t sit well with him.
But cricket has a strange sense of humor.
Rohit’s first ODI innings ever was against South Africa in 2007. He was 20 year old kid who looked like he’d been picked from a school team. Four years later in 2011, he opened for the first time in ODIs. Opponent? South Africa again. They keep showing up at his turning points like some old memory that won’t fade.
They’ve been his starting point for everything. They’ve seen him raw, and they’ve seen him grow.
Champions Trophy Knock That Changed Everything
The real change came in 2013. Dhoni looked at Rohit and said, “You’re opening now.” No discussion. No please and thank you. Just do it.
First match of that Champions Trophy was against South Africa. Rohit scored 65. Doesn’t sound like much. Wasn’t a hundred. Wasn’t some blazing knock that people remember. But it did something. It unlocked him. India won that tournament and Rohit made 177 runs with two fifties in five matches. That 65 in Cardiff against South Africa started it all. That was the moment. That one decision, that one match against South Africa, gave Indian cricket its most destructive opener since Virender Sehwag.
What Lies Ahead: The Return to Where It All Began
Now South Africa is back in India. Ranchi on November 30. Then two more matches. The 2027 World Cup will be in South Africa. This series is a look at the future. For Rohit, it’s a chance to fix that ugly 33.58 average. To show the team that first bowled to him eighteen years ago that he’s not the same kid anymore.
He is world number one. He is the highest Indian run-scorer this year. He is 38 and still getting better. The rankings say he’s the best. The Proteas say he’s got a weakness. Rohit doesn’t say much at all. He just stands at the crease, adjusts his helmet, and gets ready to bat.
That’s his answer to everything.