ICC rankings: King reclaims his crown; Kohli becomes the No. 1 ODI batter as Rohit drops to No. 3

Virat Kohli has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings after nearly five years, following a match-winning 93 against New Zealand in Vadodara.

Virat Kohli has regained his position at the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings. Image | BCCI

Nearly five years after he last sat on the throne, Virat Kohli has officially reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings. The 37-year-old’s ascent back to the summit follows a vintage match-winning performance in Vadodara, where his 93 off 91 balls guided India to a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand.

For Kohli, this marks his 11th distinct spell as the world’s top-ranked ODI batter. He replaces teammate Rohit Sharma at the peak, capping off a remarkable "purple patch" that has seen him score a century and four half-centuries in his last five outings. As of today, Kohli has spent a total of 825 days at No. 1, the most by any Indian and the 10th highest in the history of the game.

A battle of inches at the top

While Kohli has seized the crown, the race for the top spot has never been tighter. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell is breathing down the Indian’s neck, sitting just one rating point behind him (785 to 784). Mitchell’s fierce 84-run knock in the same Vadodara match propelled him to his career-high rating, setting the stage for a dramatic see-saw battle throughout the remainder of the series.

Read also: Former India pacer identifies ideal all-round option after Washington Sundar injury.

Meanwhile, other notable ODI movers include Mohammed Siraj who jumped five spots to 15th in the bowling rankings, and New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson, whose four-wicket haul against India saw him rocket 27 places up to 69th.

Ashes heroes conquer Test rankings

While the ODI world focuses on India and New Zealand, the conclusion of the Ashes in Australia has sent shockwaves through the Test rankings. Travis Head has emerged as the biggest winner of the Australian summer. After finishing as the series' leading run-scorer with a staggering 629 runs, including three centuries, Head has climbed seven spots to become the No. 3 Test batter in the world.

Head’s promotion to the opening slot during the Perth Test proved to be a masterstroke, as he maintained an average of 62.90 throughout the marquee series.

His teammate Steve Smith also saw a boost, moving up to 4th place after his first-innings century in the Sydney finale.

For England, the silver lining was Joe Root who finally broke his drought with a century on Australian soil. Root remains the No. 1-ranked Test batter, narrowly ahead of teammate Harry Brook.

Read also: Former India bowler blames Test series loss against SA on Kohli-Rohit transition, makes eye-opening claim

T20I: Raza regains all-rounder crown

In the shortest format, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza has returned to the No. 1 spot in the T20I All-Rounder rankings. Raza, who has enjoyed a resurgent 13-year career, took advantage of a slip in form from Pakistan’s Saim Ayub during the recent tri-series against Sri Lanka.

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