Rohit Sharma Replaces Shubman Gill in ODI
Former India captain Rohit Sharma has made history by becoming the number 1 ranked batter in One Day International cricket for the first time in his career. This big moment came after his amazing performance in the three-match series between India and Australia. The 38-year-old Rohit Sharma jumped two places in the ICC rankings for ODI batters to replace his own teammate Shubman Gill at the top spot.
Rohit Sharma reached the number 1 position after scoring 202 runs in the three-match ODI series against Australia. He played two very good innings in this series. In the second ODI at Adelaide Oval on October 23, Rohit Sharma scored 73 runs from 97 balls. Then in the third and final ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25, Rohit Sharma played an unbeaten knock of 121 runs from 125 balls. This century helped India win the third ODI by nine wickets even though they lost the series 1-2.
The unbeaten 121 runs innings at Sydney was special for Rohit Sharma. He hit 13 fours and three big sixes in this innings. This was his 33rd century in ODI cricket and his ninth century against Australia. Rohit Sharma also played this century at the age of 38 years and 178 days, making him the second oldest Indian batter to score an ODI century after Sachin Tendulkar. His batting partner Virat Kohli also played well and scored 74 runs without getting out.
Rohit Sharma Creates Multiple Records at Age 38
Rohit Sharma now has 781 rating points in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He gained 36 rating points to reach this position. This is the first time in his 18-year ODI career that Rohit Sharma has reached the number 1 spot in these rankings. Before this series, his best ranking was number 2, which he achieved way back in 2019 during the World Cup. In that 2019 World Cup, Rohit Sharma had reached a career best rating of 882 points.
At the age of 38 years and 182 days, Rohit Sharma has become the oldest player ever to reach the number 1 position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. This record was never done before by any player in the world. The only other Indian batter to reach a top ICC ranking after the age of 38 was Sachin Tendulkar, but that was in Test cricket in 2011. Rohit Sharma has now joined a very special group of Indian cricketers who have been ranked as the world’s number 1 ODI batter. He is the fifth Indian player to achieve this after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill.
Shubman Gill Drops to Third Position After Poor Series
Shubman Gill, who was the number 1 ranked ODI batter before this series, has now dropped two spots to the third position. The young Indian captain had a disappointing series against Australia. Shubman Gill scored only 43 runs in the three matches. He managed scores of 10, 9, and 24 runs across the three ODIs. These low scores caused him to lose 23 rating points. Shubman Gill now has 745 rating points.
Shubman Gill had been holding the top ODI ranking since late 2023. He was the number 1 ranked batter with 784 rating points before the Australia series started. However, his poor form in the series meant he could not keep his position. This was also his first series as the new ODI captain of India, and he would have wanted to perform better with the bat.
Ibrahim Zadran Takes Second Position in Rankings
Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran is now ranked at the second position in the ICC ODI batting rankings with 764 rating points. Ibrahim Zadran created his own piece of history by becoming the first batter from Afghanistan to reach the number 1 position in ODI rankings. He briefly held the top spot between the second and third ODI matches of the India vs Australia series. When Shubman Gill dropped below him after the second ODI and before Rohit Sharma had not yet reached the top, Ibrahim Zadran became the number 1 ranked batter. Though he is now at number 2, this is still a big achievement for Afghanistan cricket.
Virat Kohli Slips One Place Despite Good Final Innings
Former India captain Virat Kohli has moved down one position to the sixth rank in the ODI batting rankings. Virat Kohli had a tough start to the series. He was dismissed for a duck in both the first and second ODI matches in Perth and Adelaide. These two consecutive ducks hurt his ranking points. However, Virat Kohli bounced back strongly in the third ODI at Sydney. He scored an unbeaten 74 runs from 81 balls to help India win the match.
Despite the good knock in Sydney, Virat Kohli still lost one position in the rankings. His rating points increased from 724 to 730 after the Sydney innings. But this was not enough to keep him at the fifth position. Virat Kohli now has 725 rating points. He is currently ranked sixth in the world. During his innings at Sydney, Virat Kohli also went past former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara’s total runs in ODI cricket. Virat Kohli now has 14,255 runs in ODI cricket and is only behind Sachin Tendulkar in the list of highest run scorers in the format.
Shreyas Iyer Moves Up to Ninth Position
Indian middle order batter Shreyas Iyer has moved up one spot to reach the ninth position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Shreyas Iyer scored 61 runs in the second ODI at Adelaide before getting injured in the third match. He could not bat in the third ODI because of his injury. Despite missing the third match, his good score in Adelaide helped him gain one place in the rankings. Shreyas Iyer now has 700 rating points. He is the only other Indian batter apart from Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli to be in the top ten of the ODI batting rankings.
KL Rahul Ranked at 14th Position
Indian wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul is currently ranked at the 14th position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. KL Rahul has 631 rating points according to the latest rankings. He did not play in the ODI series against Australia. His best ranking in ODI cricket has been 13th position. KL Rahul has scored 3081 runs in his ODI career at an average of 48.90. He is an important player for India in the ODI format and will be looking to improve his ranking in future series.
Kuldeep Yadav Only Indian Bowler in Top Ten
In the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers, Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav has moved one place down and is now ranked seventh. Kuldeep Yadav is the only Indian bowler currently in the top ten of the ODI bowling rankings. He has 644 rating points. His best ranking in ODI cricket was third position, which he achieved in October 2018. Kuldeep Yadav’s best rating in ODIs has been 761 points. He has taken 181 wickets in ODI cricket at an average of 26.44.
Rohit Sharma Wins Player of the Series Award
Rohit Sharma was named the Player of the Series for his excellent performance in the three-match ODI series against Australia. He scored 202 runs in three matches at an amazing average of 101. His strike rate in the series was 85.59. Rohit Sharma hit one century and one half-century in the series. He was also given the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 121 runs in the third ODI at Sydney.
Records Broken by Rohit Sharma in Australia
Rohit Sharma broke many records during his tour of Australia. He became only the third Indian batter and the tenth player overall in cricket history to reach 50 international centuries. With this, Rohit Sharma joined the special company of Sachin Tendulkar, who has 100 international centuries, and Virat Kohli, who has 82 international centuries. These are the only three Indian batters to have scored 50 or more international hundreds.
Rohit Sharma also went past former India captain Sourav Ganguly to become the third highest Indian run scorer in ODI cricket. He now needs just three more sixes to become the highest six hitter in ODI cricket. Rohit Sharma also drew level with Sachin Tendulkar for most ODI centuries against Australia, with both having nine centuries each. However, Rohit Sharma achieved this in just 49 innings while Sachin Tendulkar took 70 innings.
Rohit Sharma’s rise to the number 1 position in ICC ODI batting rankings is a story of hard work, patience, and never giving up. After 18 years of playing ODI cricket, he has finally reached the top spot. At 38 years and 182 days, he has become the oldest batter ever to achieve this ranking. His excellent performance in the series against Australia, where he scored 202 runs including a brilliant century at Sydney, was the key to this achievement.
