India batter Virat Kohli has regained the No. 1 position in the ODI batting rankings, dethroning teammate Rohit Sharma, who slipped to third place in the latest men’s rankings following India’s four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI.
Kohli’s 93 off 91 balls helped the hosts complete the chase, bringing him closer to India legend Sachin Tendulkar and moving him into second place on the all-time men’s international run-scoring list. He has been in excellent form since the 50-over series in Australia, scoring 74 not out, 135, 102, 65 not out and 93 in his last five matches.
The 37-year-old returned to the top of the batting charts for the first time since July 2021 after his performance helped India chase down New Zealand’s 300-run target in Vadodara.
Kohli first reached the top ranking in October 2013, marking his 11th stint at No. 1. To date, he has held the position for a total of 825 days, making it the 10th longest overall and the longest for any Indian.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell moved up in the ODI rankings after scoring a brisk 84 off 71 balls in the first ODI, achieving his highest-ever rating and sitting just one point behind Kohli.
The Black Caps batter has been in impressive form, having previously held the No. 1 spot, with three half-centuries in his last five ODIs and a century against the West Indies.
Mitchell’s teammate Devon Conway moved up three places to 29th as he continued his consistent run-scoring.
In the ODI bowlers’ rankings, Mohammed Siraj’s strong performance saw him climb five places to 15th, level with Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Pacer Kyle Jamieson also made significant gains after producing his career-best bowling figures, taking four wickets against India. The performance helped him jump 27 places to joint 69th alongside India pacer Arshdeep Singh.
Several Australian players improved their positions in the latest Test rankings following the conclusion of the Ashes series. Travis Head climbed seven spots to third after finishing as the leading run-scorer in the marquee series against England, amassing 629 runs at an average of 62.90, including three centuries.
Other Test gainers included Jacob Bethell, who surged 25 places to joint 52nd with Tom Blundell following his maiden Test century in the final Ashes Test, and Michael Neser, who moved up seven places to 47th after a strong showing in Sydney.
Beau Webster rose across all three disciplines following an outstanding all-round performance in the Ashes finale. His batting ranking improved six places to 58th, his bowling ranking jumped 29 places to 80th—joint with Justin Greaves—and he climbed 22 places to 26th in the all-rounders’ rankings, where Simon Harmer is also placed.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s performance in the series-drawing T20I against Pakistan helped him climb three places to second in the latest T20I bowlers’ rankings.
Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza also made notable gains, climbing 16 spots to 19th after claiming three wickets in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan’s key contributions with the bat lifted him one place to fifth, while captain Salman Agha jumped 13 spots to 41st.
In the all-rounders’ list, Saim Ayub slipped one place, allowing Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza to reclaim the top spot in the latest rankings update.
(IANS)
