While his return to ODI cricket last month was dismal, as he bagged two consecutive ducks in Australia, Virat Kohli has returned to a rampant, ransacking form in his last few outings.
His 74* in the third IND vs AUS ODI in Sydney put doubts of his being out of touch to bed. And then, his two consecutive centuries against South Africa in the first two ODIs, in Ranchi and Raipur, have signalled doom for his doubters and critics, with his fans taking digs at Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Amid his retirements from Test and T20Is, Virat Kohli has attained another peak in the ODI format. Since the start of 2023, Kohli has scored 2021 runs in only 39 innings at an outstanding average of 63, notching up nine centuries and 11 fifties in the process.
Only three batsmen have scored more ODI runs than Kohli since 2023, Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis and India opener Shubman Gill, but all three of them have played more innings than Kohli, and none of them average more than 57.
Virat Kohli climbs to No. 4 spot in ICC ODI Batsmen rankings; not far behind Rohit Sharma
In the latest ICC ODI Batsmen rankings, Rohit Sharma has retained his numero uno position, following his century in Sydney and half-century in Ranchi. Virat Kohli displaced Shubman Gill from the No. 4 position in the ODI batsmen ranking after his century in Ranchi against South Africa.
In the IND vs SA 1st ODI, Kohli clobbered 135 runs off 120 balls, smoking 11 fours and seven sixes in India’s 17-run victory. This helped Kohli replace Gill from the No. 4 slot in the ranking, with Gill missing this series due to a neck injury.
Rohit is at the top of the ODI batsmen ranking with 783 rating points, but Kohli is not far behind, in the fourth position with 751 rating points. In the second spot is New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, and in the third position is Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran.
With Kohli having struck another hundred in the second ODI in Raipur, he is set to narrow the gap with Rohit.
Kohli had held the No. 1 position in the ICC ODI Batsmen ranking for over three years at the end of the decade, before a drop in his form and the rise of Babar Azam saw the Pakistani batsman take his throne in April 2021. Babar, though, has fallen off the cliff and currently is at the sixth position.
Will Virat Kohli play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy?
Yes, there have reports of Virat Kohli featuring in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is India’s premier 50-over domestic tournament, but the number of games he will be available for is not certain yet.
“He will definitely play a few games, but not sure about the entire tournament,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told ESPNcricinfo.
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