Rohit becomes No.1 in ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings for the first time

Rohit Sharma. 

Rakesh Thapliyal

Dubai: India opener Rohit Sharma has attained No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings for the first time in his career after some fine performances in the three-match series in Australia.

Rohit, who followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series, has moved ahead of captain Shubman Gill and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran to reach 781 rating points, 17 more than second-placed Zadran with Gill third at 745. Rohit’s previous best was the second position that he first attained in July 2018.

Ibrahim Zadran briefly becomes first from Afghanistan to top ODI Batting Rankings:

Meanwhile, Ibrahim became the first Afghanistan batter to ever top the ODI batting rankings – briefly between the second and third ODIs in Australia, when Gill dropped below him and Rohit had not surged to the top.

India vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who struck 61 in the second match before getting injured in the third, has moved up one slot to ninth position while there were also quite a few bowlers to advance in the rankings after the series.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is up two places to eighth, leg-spinner Adam Zampa is up two places to 12th while India spinners Axar Patel (up six places to 31st) and Washington Sunder (up 22 places to 73rd) have also progressed.

In another notable change, England captain Harry Brook’s 135 off 101 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui has lifted him 23 places to a career-best 25thposition.

The Test rankings see Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel (up one place to 12th) and captain Shan Masood (up five places to 42nd) move up the batting rankings while South Africa’s Tony de Zorzi is up seven places to 47th.

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj is up nine places to 13th after helping win the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi with a match haul of nine wickets. Simon Harmer’s six for 50 in the second innings helped him gain 26 places to 45th position.