Virat Kohli delivered an all-timer series against South Africa, racking up a huge 302 runs across the three matches. For context, the next best batter scored 164 (Matthew Breetzke). And now, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rewarded the former Indian captain with a huge spike in his latest ODI batting rankings. Kohli, who used to dominate the numero uno spot, is now once again closing on it, having jumped from fourth to second spot. Rohit Sharma still claims the first spot with 781 points, while Kohli now has 773 rating points and could overtake him soon.
Among Indians, Shubman Gill (5th) and Shreyas Iyer (10th) are still part of the top 10 rankings despite the duo not featuring in the recently concluded series due to injuries.
Deserving Virat Kohli once again (almost) on top
Kohli’s series was one of his finest in recent memory. He hammered two centuries on the trot, a 135 in Ranchi and 102 in Raipur, before finishing the series with a fiery and unbeaten 65* in Visakhapatnam. His tally of 302 runs at an average of 151 made him an obvious Player of the Series and pushed him firmly back into the race for ODI batting supremacy.
Kohli has not held the No. 1 ranking since April 2021, when Babar Azam replaced him, who is now at the 6th spot. That gap could finally close when India play their next ODI assignment, which is a three-match series against New Zealand at home from January 11. With just eight rating points separating Rohit and Kohli, the competition between India’s two modern greats will be the subplot to watch. Rohit is in fine form as well, scoring two fifties in the recent series.
Latest ICC ODI Batting Rankings
| Rank | Players | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rohit Sharma | 781 |
| 02 | Virat Kohli | 773 |
| 03 | Daryl Mitchell | 766 |
| 04 | Ibrahim Zadran | 764 |
| 05 | Shubman Gill | 723 |
| 06 | Babar Azam | 722 |
| 07 | Harry Tector | 708 |
| 08 | Shai Hope | 701 |
| 09 | Charith Asalanka | 690 |
| 10 | Shreyas Iyer | 679 |
Kohli wasn’t the only Indian to climb. KL Rahul continued his steady rise in ODI cricket, moving up two spots to 12th after a fluent series with the bat and as a captain. Kuldeep Yadav made one of the biggest jumps among bowlers, climbing three places to third in the ODI bowling rankings after another impactful run of performances.
