Rohit Sharma overtakes Shubman Gill to achieve career-best ODI rankings; Babar Azam's top spot in danger

India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma has made big gains in the ICC ODI rankings after his brilliant performance in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Rohit was one of the few bright spots for India in the series, which ended in a shocking result in Sri Lanka's favor.

Despite India's 0-2 defeat in the series, Rohit Sharma emerged as the highest run-getter across both the teams with 157 runs in three matches at an average of 52.33. He scored all these runs at an astonishing strike rate of 141.44 on pitches helpful for the spinners.

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Rohit Sharma surpasses Shubman Gill; moves closer to Babar Azam

In the latest ODI Batting Rankings, Rohit Sharma has surpassed Shubman Gill to move to the second spot. Rohit is now just behind Babar Azam in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings. Rohit Sharma has 765 rating points now as compared to Shubman Gill's 763. Gill has been demoted third spot now.

Gill had a disappointing series against Sri Lanka which posssibly led to his downfall. The 24-year-old opener scored just 57 runs in three ODIs against Sri Lanka at an average of 19.

On pitches assisting the spinners, Gill struggled for timing throughout the series and did not look comfortable against the turning ball. His performance has surely raised questions on his ability to tackle quality spin at this level. Gill was also appointed India's vice-captain before the Sri Lanka tour as the selectors see him as a long-term leadership option.

Rohit Sharma's terrific form continues

Despite his young opening partner's disappointing performances in the ODIs, Rohit Sharma showed why he is rated so highly. He was equally effective against both pace and spin and provided India flying starts. Unfortunately, the Indian captain did not get the desired result for his team.

Rohit has been in terrific form since the T20 World Cup 2024, where he played a key role in India's title win. He finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer with 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.70.

Pakistan's ODI and T20I captain Babar Azam is still sitting comfortably at the top with 824 rating points. India is not scheduled to play any ODI match till February next year which means Babar Azam will have a chance to build on his lead in the ODIs against Australia in November.

Other batters also make gains in the ODI rankings

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's opening batter Pathum Nissanka also made gains in the ODI Batting Rankings. Nissanka moved up one place to eighth in the rankings. He scored 101 runs in three ODIs against India.

The 2-0 series win for Sri Lanka was a historic result for the home team as they registered their first ODI series win over India in 27 years. It came after a 3-0 drubbing by India in the T20I series.

On the other hand, some other batters also made gains in the rankings. Netherlands' Max O'Dowd moved up 10 places to 54th while USA's captain Monank Patel moved up 11 spots to 56th in the rankings.