Kohli, who dominated the ODI rankings for more than three years through the late 2010s, last held the top spot in April 2021 before Pakistan’s Babar Azam overtook him.
Photo: ANI
Former India captain Virat Kohli has inched closer to reclaiming the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, moving within 32 rating points of top-ranked Rohit Sharma following his sublime century against South Africa in Ranchi. Kohli’s 135 off 120 balls in the series opener, his 83rd international hundred, propelled the 37-year-old up one position to fourth, taking his tally to 751 rating points.
Kohli, who dominated the ODI rankings for more than three years through the late 2010s, last held the top spot in April 2021 before Pakistan’s Babar Azam overtook him. His latest rise sees him leapfrog teammate Shubman Gill and close in on the top three, currently occupied by Rohit, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran.
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Rohit, meanwhile, extended his lead at the summit with consistent recent performances, tightening his grip on the No.1 ranking as the ODI calendar edges toward a busy 2026 cycle.
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India also enjoyed an upswing in the bowling charts, with Kuldeep Yadav climbing to sixth among ODI bowlers. The left-arm wrist-spinner’s continued impact comes amid a reshuffle across formats in the latest ICC update.
In T20Is, Pakistan’s Saim Ayub returned to the top of the all-rounders’ rankings after starring in his side’s tri-series victory over Sri Lanka. Ayub, who briefly held the No.1 spot earlier in October before being surpassed by Sikandar Raza, regained the position thanks to a composed 36 in the final and a crucial wicket in his four economical overs. Pakistan’s triumph also lifted Abrar Ahmed four places to fourth among T20I bowlers and pushed Mohammad Nawaz up to 11th; Nawaz additionally climbed three spots to fourth in the all-rounders’ list after being named Player of the Tournament.
Sri Lanka found positives despite falling short, with Kamil Mishara vaulting from outside the top 100 to No.18 among T20I batters on the back of 169 runs in the series. Bangladesh, fresh off a home win over Ireland, also recorded notable gains: Parvez Hossain Emon rose 21 places to 38th, Towhid Hridoy moved to joint 42nd, and Mustafizur Rahman climbed to eighth among T20I bowlers.
A dominant Test series sweep over India further boosted South Africa’s rankings profile. Left-arm quick Marco Jansen surged to fifth among Test bowlers, his career-best, and climbed to second among Test all-rounders. Off-spinner Simon Harmer, named Player of the Series for his 17 wickets, leapt 13 places to 11th. Batters Kyle Verreynne (38th), Ryan Rickelton (39th) and Tristan Stubbs (47th) also made significant progress.
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