The ICC ODI rankings saw major shifts on the opening day of the Champions Trophy. India’s star opener Shubman Gill has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among ODI batsmen, surpassing Pakistan’s former captain Babar Azam. This marks Gill’s second time at the top, having first dethroned Babar during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
There’s also a new leader in the ICC ODI bowling rankings. Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana has overtaken Rashid Khan to become the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler for the first time. Interestingly, Sri Lanka isn’t even part of this year’s Champions Trophy.
Gill’s rise to the top comes as a result of his consistent performances. In India’s recent three-match ODI series against England, his lowest score was 60 (second match), while he smashed 112 and 87 in the other two games. With 259 runs at a strike rate of 103 and an average of 86, he finished as the series’ top run-scorer.
In contrast, Babar Azam has been struggling for form, failing to score a century in his last 21 ODI innings. He now sits 23 rating points behind Gill—796 vs. 773. Following them in the top five are Rohit Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, and Daryl Mitchell.
Theekshana climbed to the No. 1 spot after an impressive two-match ODI series against Australia, where he took four wickets in the first game in Colombo. Meanwhile, Rashid Khan hasn’t played an ODI since December, which contributed to his drop in rankings. Theekshana leads Rashid by 11 rating points (680 vs. 669). Completing the top five bowlers are Bernard Scholtz, Kuldeep Yadav, and Shaheen Afridi.
In the ODI all-rounders’ rankings, Mohammad Nabi continues to hold the No. 1 spot.
