Star cricketer Virat Kohli is back at the number 1 spot in the ICC rankings for batters, replacing Rohit Sharma, as per the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday (January 14).
At 37, Kohli marked his return as top batter after nearly 5 years, while former India skipper Rohit has slipped to third spot.
Kohli scored 93 runs in the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara. The innings also saw Kohli become the second-highest run-getter in men’s international cricket, moving past Ricky Ponting and closing in on Sachin Tendulkar‘s all-time record. It was yet another reminder of his enduring dominance in the 50-over format.
Kohli eyes record sixth consecutive ODI fifty in Rajkot
The former India captain has been in prolific ODI form over the past few months. His last five innings read: an unbeaten 74 against Australia, scores of 135, 102 and 65 in the three-match series against South Africa, followed by the 93 against New Zealand in the first of the three-match series. The run has propelled him back to the top of the rankings for the first time since July 2021.
Kohli had first risen to the number one position in October 2013. The latest update marks his 11th separate stint at the top of the ODI batting rankings. In total, he has spent 825 days as the world’s top-ranked ODI batter- the most by any Indian and the 10th highest overall.
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer other Indians in top 10
Among other Indians, skipper Shubman Gill has retained his fifth position in the batting charts, while Shreyas Iyer remains the only other Indian batter inside the top 10.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was one of the biggest gainers after his aggressive 84 off 71 balls in the first ODI. He climbed a spot to sit just one rating point behind Kohli, who now has 785 points. Mitchell’s teammate Devon Conway also made progress, jumping three places to 29th.
In the bowling rankings, India pacer Mohammed Siraj moved up five spots to joint 15th, alongside Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz. New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson registered a massive leap after his career-best figures of 4 for 41, climbing 27 places to joint 69th, a position he now shares with India’s Arshdeep Singh.