Virat Kohli has moved up to No. 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He is now only eight rating points behind Rohit Sharma, who remains at No. 1. Kohli earned this rise after scoring 302 runs in the ODI series against South Africa and winning Player of the Series. Rohit scored 146 runs and kept his top position.
Kohli hit back-to-back centuries in Ranchi and Raipur and finished the series with an unbeaten 65 in Visakhapatnam. This is his closest push toward the top spot since he last held No. 1 in March 2021.
The race for No. 1 will continue when India faces New Zealand in a three-match ODI series starting January 11. Other Indian players also improved their rankings: KL Rahul moved to 12th among ODI batters, and Kuldeep Yadav rose to third among ODI bowlers.
In T20Is, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah climbed the bowling list, while Dewald Brevis entered the top ten for batters. In Tests, Mitchell Starc jumped to third after 18 wickets in the first two Ashes Tests, with Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Shai Hope, and Justin Greaves also moving up.
Rohit Sharma Remains No. 1 in ICC Ranking
Rohit Sharma became the ICC Men’s No. 1 ODI batter for the first time in his career in Oct 2025. He had a strong ODI series against Australia, where he scored 202 runs in three matches and won Player of the Series. His key knocks included 73 in Adelaide and 121 in Sydney, where he also reached 50 international centuries.
Before the series, Rohit was ranked No. 3. His ODI record is 11,516 runs, with 33 centuries, 61 fifties, and an average of 49.21. The updated rankings show Rohit at No. 1 and Virat Kohli at No. 2, after Kohli climbed two places and closed the gap to just eight points.
Rohit also crossed 20,000 runs in men’s international cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to reach the mark. He hit the milestone during the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, taking a single off Keshav Maharaj. This achievement places him with Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid on the list of India’s highest run-scorers in international cricket.
How are ICC rankings calculated?
The ICC player rankings use a weekly, points-based system to measure how well an international cricketer performs compared to their own past record.
The rankings update every Wednesday for men’s cricket. All matches finished before that day are included. Each player has a rating out of 1000. The rating changes only through an algorithm that reads the player’s performance in a match.
If the performance is better than their usual level, the rating goes up. If it is below their usual level, it goes down. The calculation is automatic and has no human judgment involved, and the factors used differ slightly for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
FAQs
Q. Why did Virat Kohli rise to No. 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings?
A. Kohli moved to No. 2 after scoring 302 runs in the ODI series against South Africa and winning Player of the Series.
Q. How close is Virat Kohli to becoming the No. 1 ODI batter?
A. Kohli is only eight rating points behind Rohit Sharma in becoming the No. 1 ODI batter.
Q. When was the last time Kohli held the No. 1 ODI ranking?
A. Virat Kohli last held the No. 1 ODI ranking in March 2021.
Q. When did Rohit Sharma become the No. 1 ODI batter for the first time?
A. Rohit reached No. 1 in October 2025 after scoring 202 runs in the Australia ODI series.
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