Dubai– Following an impressive display at the ODI World Cup, India batter Virat Kohli gained ground in the latest update to the ODI Player Rankings, moving up one spot to third. Meanwhile, his teammate Shubman Gill maintained his position at the top.
Kohli scored a tournament-best 765 runs during the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and that helped the right-hander jumped to third and within just 35 rating points of Gill, who remained on top of the batting chart.
Gill maintains a grip on the top spot with 826 rating points, narrowly ahead of Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, who holds onto second place with 824 points. However, Kohli (791 points) and India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma (now in fourth place with 769 points, climbing one spot), are closing in after impressive displays in the World Cup.
Kohli reached triple figures on three occasions at the World Cup to break the record of former teammate Sachin Tendulkar for most ODI centuries, while Rohit smashed 597 runs as the India duo finished the tournament as the two leading run scorers.
Kohli famously held the No.1 ranking for a total of 1258 consecutive days during a reign of almost four years between 2017 and 2021, with Babar spending the majority of time in the premier position in recent years until Gill claimed top billing during the World Cup.
The rise of the India duo means South Africa opener Quinton de Kock drops two spots to fifth on the ODI batter rankings, with New Zealand right-hander Daryl Mitchell rising five spots to sixth on the back of his 552 runs at the World Cup.
The most notable mover is Australian opener Travis Head, who surged an impressive 28 places to reach 15th overall following his outstanding century and Player of the Match display in the World Cup final.
In the bowling chart, South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj remains on top, with India pair Mohammed Siraj (third) and Jasprit Bumrah (fourth) remain firmly nestled within the top 10 for ODI bowlers, while teammate Kuldeep Yadav drops one spot to equal sixth
A host of Australia players making some good ground after their successful World Cup campaign.
Experienced seamer Josh Hazlewood rises four places to second overall, fellow quick Mitchell Starc jumps eight spots to 12th, while skipper Pat Cummins improves seven rungs to 27th.
There isn’t much change inside the top 10 of the ODI rankings for all-rounders at the completion of the World Cup, with Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan maintaining a healthy lead at the head of proceedings. New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner drops two spots to seventh and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz rises two places to ninth. (IANS)