Rohit Sharma, Who is Doubtful for 2027 World Cup, Becomes No. 2 Ranked ODI Batter

Indians remain on top of the ICC batting rankings, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in ODIs, and Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma in T20Is.

Rohit Sharma, Who is Doubtful for 2027 World Cup, Becomes No. 2 Ranked ODI Batter

Rohit Sharma jumped to the no. 2 spot on the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, recently. (via NDTV Sports)

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Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma, who has not played for the Men in Blue since February 2025, recently climbed to the number two spot in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings. Sharma’s rise comes amid rumors that he may not be selected for the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup.

Rohit Sharma is nearing the end of his illustrious, nearly two-decade-long career with the Indian cricket team. A master of white-ball cricket, Sharma made his ODI debut back in 2007 and has since played 273 matches for India, scoring 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76. This makes him the fourth-highest run-getter for India in the 50-over format, including 32 hundreds and 58 half-centuries to his name.

He also holds several ODI records, including the most double centuries (three), and the highest individual score in a match (264 runs vs. Sri Lanka in 2014). Sharma, who has been leading the Indian ODI side since 2021, last played for the Men in Blue in February this year, where he guided the team to its third Champions Trophy title, scoring a match-winning innings of 76 runs in the final against New Zealand.

A few months after India’s 2025 CT triumph, the 38-year-old shocked Indian cricket fans by announcing his retirement from Test cricket. Despite having been out of International cricket for a while, Sharma is now ranked second in the latest ICC ODI Batting Rankings with 756 rating points, just 28 points behind his Indian teammate and top-ranked ODI batter, Shubman Gill, who has 784 points.

This is not the first time the 38-year-old Indian opener has reached the number two spot on the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, which interestingly remains the highest position he has achieved in his career. While Sharma has never reached the no. 1 spot, he previously held the no. 2 spot following a much-successful 2019 ODI World Cup campaign, where scored 648 runs and set a record for the most centuries in a single World Cup (five), achieving a career-best rating of 882 points.

Furthermore, Rohit Sharma’s ascent to second place coincides with speculation that he and Virat Kohli might retire from international cricket after the ODI tour to Australia later this year, pulling themselves out of contention of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Sharma also overtook Babar Azam, who dropped to third place after a dismal three-match ODI series against the West Indies, where he only managed to score 54 runs.

Meanwhile, in the top 20 of the ODI batting rankings, Gill and Sharma are joined by Virat Kohli (4), Shreyas Iyer (8), and KL Rahul (15). All of these players are expected to be in action during India’s upcoming white-ball tour to Australia in November, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is.

Rohit Sharma Trains with Former Batting Coach Amid Retirement Rumors

Ignoring retirement rumors, Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma has teamed up with former Men in Blue batting coach Abhishek Nayar to train and stay fit for the upcoming tour of Australia. Nayar and Sharma were recently seen training together in a gym, as part of a new fitness regimen.

Rohit Sharma training Abhishek Nayar
Rohit Sharma has started training with ex-Indian batting coach Abhishek Nayar. (via India Today)

Rohit Sharma must maintain his physical shape if he wishes to continue playing for the next two years in the run-up to the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup. There are rumors that the BCCI might be reconsidering his selection, even hinting that he may have to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to secure a spot. Amidst this speculation, Rohit Sharma has joined Abhishek Nayar in training to maintain his fitness level.

Rohit Sharma is not the only one preparing, with Virat Kohli also having begun indoor net sessions in London to get ready for the tour Down Under.