Pakistan’s Babar Azam continues to reign as the world’s top ODI batter, according to the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
However, India’s Rohit Sharma has made significant strides, climbing to the second position following a strong performance in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Despite India's 0-2 series loss to Sri Lanka, Rohit emerged as the top run-scorer, amassing 157 runs across three matches at an average of 52.33. His consistent form, with scores of 58, 64, and 35, propelled him to 765 points in the rankings, just behind Babar, who maintains a substantial lead with 824 points.
Rohit’s rise in the rankings comes at the expense of his teammate Shubman Gill, who slipped to third place, trailing by a mere two points. Virat Kohli, another key figure in Indian cricket, holds the fourth position.
On the Sri Lankan side, Pathum Nissanka also made notable gains, moving up to eighth place in the ODI rankings. Nissanka’s steady contributions, including a total of 101 runs in the series, solidified his position within the top ten.
Sri Lankan bowlers also made their mark, particularly Dunith Wellalage, whose 5 for 27 in the final ODI was a standout performance. Wellalage’s efforts have seen him climb 17 spots to 59th among bowlers.
South African players rise
In the Test arena, South African captain Temba Bavuma and spinner Keshav Maharaj have moved up the ICC rankings following their rain-affected Test match against the West Indies in Port of Spain.
Bavuma’s scores of 86 and an unbeaten 15 in the drawn Test helped him rise two places to 16th on the batters' list. Meanwhile, Maharaj, who claimed eight wickets across both innings, earned the Player-of-the-Match award and moved up seven spots to 21st on the Test bowlers' table.
