The former ODI skipper slammed a century in the third ODI in Sydney.
Rohit Sharma has unlocked a new achievement in the latest ICC ODI Men’s Rankings. The former India skipper went on to become the No.1 ODI batter, dethroning the current ODI skipper Shubman Gill. This comes after his impressive performance in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Australia Down Under.
Though the ICC ODI Rankings mean very little in front of the contributions of a player to the result of the fixture, the news could not have come at a better time for Rohit Sharma. The 38-year-old last featured in the ICC Champions Trophy Final in March 2025, before playing the three-match ODI series on Australian soil. However, the current No.1 ODI batter proved that he wasn’t out of form.
In the three 50-over matches, the Mumbai Indians (MI) batter scored a total of 202 runs with a staggering average of 101. To add to that, his sumptuous century in the last match paved the way to bow out with a solitary victory in the series. Moreover, he also scored a gritty fifty in the second ODI in Adelaide.
The former Indian skipper, who clearly indicated that the recent ODI series would be his last one in Australia finds himself amidst the record books yet again. Rohit Sharma scripted history to become the oldest Indian player ever to be ranked No.1 in the ICC ODI Men’s Rankings.
The Indian ODI opener topped the list with 781 points, while Shubman Gill slipped to the third position on the back of a dismal performance in the three-match ODI series. The second spot is being held by Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran. Virat Kohli is placed sixth in the table, whereas Shreyas Iyer, who did not bat in the last ODI, rose to the ninth spot.
The 38-year-old was in sublime touch in both the second and third ODIs. He was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood in the first ODI, after a delivery which was pitched short squared him up with a catch in the slip cordon. However, his signature pull shot was on display in the consecutive games, which will give him a lot of confidence.
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To understand the reasons behind how Rohit Sharma went past Gill in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters, we need to understand how the rankings work.
The player ratings are updated on a weekly basis by the International Cricket Council (ICC). As far as Men’s International cricket is concerned, the ratings are updated every Wednesday. The updates which are executed every week include all games played till the preceding day.
Here’s the catch! The ratings take into account the opposition’s strength as well, which makes the deal more interesting. In this case, Shubman Gill could not score enough runs in the three matches, whereas Rohit Sharma rose to the occasion to notch more than 200 runs.
So to say, the ratings are decided by an algorithm, which takes into account a lot of factors, with player performance topping the list. To add to that, factors like the opposition, venue and importance of the game are also considered.
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