New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell is breathing down the neck of the 37-year-old Indian great in the ODI batting rankings.
For Virat Kohli, age truly seems to be just a number. Even at 37, he continues to score runs with remarkable consistency, and that form has earned him another major recognition. The Indian batting icon has returned to the top of the ICC men’s ODI batting rankings after a long gap.
As usual, the ICC released its weekly update of the men’s player rankings on Wednesday. In the latest list, Kohli has climbed one place to reclaim the No. 1 position in the ODI batting rankings for the first time in four and a half years.
In the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara last Sunday, Kohli narrowly missed out on a century while chasing a target of 301. He was dismissed for 93 off 91 balls, an innings that included one six and eight fours.
Kohli has now scored fifty-plus runs in each of his last five ODI innings, including two centuries. During his knock against the Kiwis, he also became the fastest batter in international cricket to reach 28,000 runs.
That performance in India’s four-wicket victory lifted Kohli back to the top of the ODI batting rankings for the first time since July 2021. He had first reached the No. 1 spot in October 2013. This is the 11th time the right-hander has held the top position.
Overall, Kohli has spent a total of 825 days at No. 1 in ODIs, the most by any Indian batter. He currently ranks tenth on the all-time list of players who have spent the most days at the top. West Indies legend Viv Richards leads that chart with 2,306 days, followed by another Caribbean great, Brian Lara, who stayed at the summit for 2,079 days.
Kohli now has 785 rating points. Just one point behind him in second place is New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who scored 84 runs in his most recent ODI.
Rohit Sharma has slipped two places from the top and is now ranked third. There are no other changes within the top ten of the ODI batting rankings.
New Zealand opener Devon Conway has moved up three places to 29th, while there have been no other notable changes in the ODI batting list.
In the ODI bowlers’ rankings, the top ten remains unchanged. Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner Rashid Khan continues to hold the No. 1 position.
Mohammed Siraj has moved up five places after taking 2 wickets for 40 runs against New Zealand. The Indian pacer now shares the 15th spot with Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Despite his team’s defeat, Kyle Jamieson made a significant jump in the rankings thanks to an outstanding bowling performance. After claiming 4 wickets for 41 runs, the New Zealand pacer climbed 27 places to 69th.
In the ODI all-rounders’ rankings, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai remains at the top.
Performances from the fifth and final Ashes Test have also been reflected in this week’s update. Travis Head, who played a key role in Australia’s five-wicket win in Sydney with an innings of 163, has moved up one place to third in the batting rankings.
Steven Smith also climbed one spot to fourth after scoring 138 runs in the same match. The biggest leap, however, came from Jacob Bethell. The England batter, who struck a brilliant century in Sydney, jumped 25 places to joint 52nd alongside Tom Blundell.
Joe Root, another centurion in that match, remains at the top of the Test batting rankings. In the Test bowlers’ rankings, India’s Jasprit Bumrah continues to sit comfortably at No. 1.
England’s Josh Tongue moved up nine places to 21st after taking six wickets across the two innings. Australian pacer Michael Neser also made progress, climbing seven places to 47th after taking five wickets, including four in the first innings. His teammate Beau Webster recorded a major rise as well, jumping 29 places to reach 80th.
At the top of the Test all-rounders’ rankings, India’s Ravindra Jadeja continues to hold the No. 1 position.
