By Indian captain Rohit Sharma has climbed to second place in the ICC ODI rankings, closing in on Pakistan’s white-ball captain, Babar Azam. Babar remains the top-ranked ODI batter but faces fresh competition from Rohit and Sri Lankan right-hander Pathum Nissanka.
Rohit’s rise in the rankings comes after a stellar performance against Sri Lanka, where he scored a series-best 157 runs, surpassing his teammate Shubman Gill. Nissanka also made significant progress, moving up to eighth place after scoring 101 runs in the same series. Sri Lanka’s victory over India in that ODI series marked their first win against India since 1997. Sri Lankan players Kusal Mendis (up five places to joint 39th) and Avishka Fernando (up 20 places to 68th) also made notable gains in the ODI rankings.
Other key movers in the ODI rankings include Netherlands opener Max O’Dowd, who climbed 10 places to 54th, and the USA’s Monank Patel, who moved up 11 places to joint 56th. In the ODI bowlers’ rankings, USA’s Nosthush Kenjige rose 10 places to 49th, while Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage jumped 17 places to 59th.
There was also notable movement in the latest Test player rankings following the drawn match between the West Indies and South Africa in Trinidad. South African captain Temba Bavuma achieved a career-high ranking, moving up two places to 16th on the Test batters’ list after scores of 86 and 15* against the West Indies. Opener Tony de Zorzi climbed 29 places to 85th after an impressive 78 in the first innings of the ICC World Test Championship match.
From the West Indies, Jason Holder rose three spots to 67th, and Alick Athanaze jumped 12 places to 76th among Test batters. South African spinner Keshav Maharaj was a standout in the Test bowlers’ rankings, moving up seven places to joint 21st after taking four wickets in each inning and earning Player of the Match honors. West Indian spinner Jomel Warrican also made a significant leap, climbing 12 spots to 54th with a new career-best rating after taking six wickets in the match.
