Virat Kohli Returns to the Top of ODI Rankings After a 5-Year Hiatus

Last December, Virat Kohli returned to Delhi’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing a century and a fifty across two dominant innings.

Virat Kohli Returns to the Top of ODI Rankings After a 5-Year Hiatus

Virat Kohli is now ranked the world's no.1 ODI batter. (via NDTV Sports)

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Indian cricketing icon Virat Kohli‘s exceptional run of form has propelled him back to the number one spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, ending a five-year hiatus. Kohli is now the top-ranked player in the world, achieving this distinction for the first time since July 2021.

Virat Kohli has experienced a surreal resurgence in form since his retirement from Test cricket last year. The 37-year-old, who is famously referred to as the ‘Chasemaster,’ showcased his dominance by scoring 93 runs off 91 balls during a 300-run chase for India against New Zealand in the opening ODI in Vadodara. Kohli set the pace for the successful chase, while narrowly missing out on his 54th ODI hundred.

He was just as impressive during India’s previous home series against South Africa, which he registered scores of 135, 120, and 65, and helped the Men in Blue triumph 2-1. Kohli’s form prevailed, despite initial scepticism that the batting great might lose his spot in the Indian ODI squad due to stiff competition from younger players. It was fueled by his display during the ODI tour to Australia, where he was dismissed for two consecutive ducks.

For the 11th time in his career, Virat Kohli has now risen to the no.1 spot on the ICC ODI Batting Rankings. Kohli has crossed the 50-run mark in five of his last six innings, accumulating over 450 runs during this period at an average well over 80. He tops the charts with 785 rating points, having replaced Rohit Sharma. Sharma had made it to the top following a very successful tour of Australia last year.

Kohli first climbed to the top of the ODI batting rankings in 2013, the year he scored a masterclass 52-ball century against Australia. Since then, he has repeatedly reached the top of the rankings, counting up to a total of 825 days at no. 1, the most for any Indian batsman. Kohli was last ranked the world’s no.1 ODI batter in 2021, before he lost the position after being surpassed by Pakistan’s Babar Azam.

Meanwhile, the latest ICC rankings have seen New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell return to the no.2 spot. Following this trio is Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran at no.4, with Shubman Gill (5), Shreyas Iyer (10), and KL Rahul (11) being the other top-ranked Indian players on the list.

Virat Kohli leaves Sachin Tendulkar behind as India’s top ODI run-scorer vs. New Zealand

On a record-breaking spree, former India captain Virat Kohli etched his name into the history books after scoring just 23 runs in the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot. Kohli has now surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to become India’s highest run-getter against the Kiwis. 

Virat Kohli vs. New Zealand
Virat Kohli is now India’s highest run-getter against New Zealand in ODIs. (via India Today)

Sachin Tendulkar previously held the record for scoring 1,750 runs in 41 innings against New Zealand, averaging 46.05, including five hundreds and eight fifties. After scoring 23 runs off 29 deliveries in India’s first innings in Rajkot, Virat Kohli successfully overtook the Indian legend. He now has 1,773 runs against the Blackcaps, averaging 55.40, with six hundreds and ten fifties. 

It also places Kohli as the second-highest run-getter against New Zealand in ODIs, just 198 runs behind Ricky Ponting. The ex-Australian captain still stands on top, with 1,971 runs in 50 innings against NZ. Coming back to Kohli, New Zealand is among the top sides that he has scored the most runs against in ODIs. Sri Lanka still ranks top on his list, with Kohli having scored over 2,600 runs against them.

This record is, however, quite merely a consolation for Kohli, given he shattered a plethora of records in the first ODI in Vadodara. Kohli, in fact, became the third player to score over 28,000 runs in international cricket history, behind Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara. 

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