IND vs AFG: Virat Kohli Inches Towards Top Five In ICC Rankings After Match-Winning Effort Against Australia

India batting star Virat Kohli has gained big in the latest ICC Rankings for ODI batsmen, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday (October 11).

The right-handed batsman began his World Cup campaign with a fine knock of 85 against Australia on Sunday. India were reeling at 2 for 3 while chasing 200 before Virat Kohli and KL Rahul shared a decisive stand of 165 runs to seal the game. Kohli was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 85 while Rahul remained unbeaten on 97.

And the 85-run knock has helped Kohli move to the seventh spot in the ICC Rankings for ODI batters. He has jumped two places after his latest ODI knock. He is just behind South Africa’s Quinton de Kock who has jumped one spot to take the sixth position after scoring a century against Sri Lanka to start his World Cup campaign. Rahul, on the other hand, has moved up 15 spots to take the 19th spot.

ICC Rankings for ODI batters and bowlers:

England opener Dawid Malan has been one of the biggest gainers in the latest ICC Rankings. The left-handed batsman’s stunning knock of 140 runs against Bangladesh has helped him move seven places higher into eighth in the batting rankings. He has also reached a career-best rating of 711 to be four points behind Kohli and six points ahead of Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq who has dropped three spots to ninth.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam continues to hold the top spot despite scoring 5 and 10 in his first two games of the 2023 World Cup. Shubman Gill, who is sidelined due to dengue, is in the second spot. Babar leads Gill by just five rating points at the moment.

Among bowlers, Australia fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood now solely holds the top spot in the ICC Rankings for bowlers. He previously shared the top spot with India’s Mohammed Siraj before moving ahead after his 3-wicket haul against India. In the same game, Siraj picked up 1 wicket.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has climbed three places to eighth after taking 2 wickets against the Pat Cummins-led side. On the other hand, his teammate Ravindra Jadeja has jumped 22 spots and is currently at the 47th spot after taking 3 wickets.