DUBAI: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli claimed the third position and is now in striking distance from top-ranked fellow Indian batter Shubman Gill and second-ranked Pakistani batter Babar Azam in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.
Virat Kohli jumped one place to third, earning the reward for his record-breaking performance during the ICC World Cup 2023.
He scored 765 runs during the mega-event, setting the record for most runs in a single edition of the World Cup, a record previously held by Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli scored three centuries during the ICC World Cup 2023 and became the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 centuries.
The third-ranked Virat Kohli has closed the gap with top-ranked Shubman Gill to only 35 rating points with 791 rating points, while Gill has 826 rating points, holding on to a close lead over Babar Azam who has 824 rating points.
The top three batters in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings are followed by Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who also jumped one place to fourth with 769 ratings, owing to his scintillating during the ICC World Cup 2023.
Sharma scored 597 runs during the tournament at an average of 54.27 and ended as the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament only behind fellow-batter Virat Kohli.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were instrumental to India’s dominant performance during the ICC World Cup 2023, where they remained undefeated until the final, losing to champions Australia.
Quinton de Kock dropped two places to fifth as a result of Indian batters gaining a spot each. Meanwhile, New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell jumped five spots to sixth with 752 rating points after scoring 552 runs at the ICC World Cup 2023.
Australia’s opening batter Travis Head jumped 28 places to reach the 15th position, courtesy of his brilliant performances during the mega-event.
Head scored 329 runs in six innings, including a century in the final against India after missing out on earlier games due to an injury.
South African spinner Keshav Maharaj held on to his position at the top of the ICC ODI Bowling rankings, while the Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood jumped four places to claim the second spot.
Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah remained firm in third and fourth positions respectively, however, their fellow Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav dropped one spot to equal sixth position with Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan.
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