Kohli dethrones Rohit to reclaim top spot in ODI rankings
Dubai, Jan 14 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) India batter Virat Kohli regained the No. 1 position, dethroning his teammate Rohit Sharma, who slipped to the No. 3 spot in the latest men’s rankings, following India’s four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI.
Kohli’s score of 93 off 91 balls helped the hosts complete the chase, bringing him closer to India legend Sachin Tendulkar and moving him into second place on the all-time men’s international run-scoring list. He has been in excellent form since the 50-over series in Australia, scoring 74 not out, 135, 102, 65 not out, and 93 in his last five matches.
The 37-year-old batting stalwart has returned to the top of the batting charts for the first time since July 2021, after his performance helped India chase down New Zealand’s 300-run target in Vadodara.
Kohli first reached the top ranking in October 2013, marking his 11th stint at the top. To date, he has held the position for a total of 825 days, making it the 10th longest overall and the longest for any Indian.
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell moved up in the ODI rankings after scoring a powerful 84 off 71 in the first ODI, achieving his highest rating with only one point behind Kohli.
The Black Caps player has been in impressive form, having held the No.1 spot, with three half-centuries in his last five ODIs and a century against the West Indies.
Mitchell’s teammate Devon Conway moved up three spots to reach 29th position as he maintains his run-scoring at the top.
In the ODI bowlers ranking update, Mohammed Siraj’s excellent performance helped him ascend five spots to reach 15th place, tying with Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Pacer Kyle Jamieson also benefited after achieving his career-best bowling performance, taking four wickets against India. This performance moved him up 27 spots to share the 69th position with India bowler Arshdeep Singh.
Several Australian players improved their positions in the latest Test rankings after the conclusion of the Ashes series, with Travis Head climbing seven spots to reach third place after becoming the top scorer in the high-profile Test series against England, where he scored 629 runs with an average of 62.90, including three centuries.
Other Test gainers include Jacob Bethell, who advanced 25 spots to share the 52nd position with Tom Blundell, thanks to his impressive maiden Test century in the final Ashes Test, and Michael Neser, who moved up seven spots to 47th following a strong performance in Sydney.
Beau Webster experienced a rise in rankings across all three departments following an outstanding all-round performance in the Ashes finale. His batting ranking improved six places to 58th, his bowling ranking jumped 29 places to 80th—alongside Justin Greaves—and he climbed 22 places to 26th in the all-rounder rankings, where Simon Harmer is also listed.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s performance in the series-drawing T20I against Pakistan helped him move up three spots to second place in the latest T20I bowler rankings.
Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza also made a leap, climbing 16 spots to 19th after taking three wickets in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan’s key contributions with the bat elevated him to fifth position, an increase of one spot, and captain Salman Agha advanced 13 spots to reach 41st.
In the all-rounders list, Saim Ayub dropped one position, allowing Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza to reclaim the top spot in the latest rankings update.
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