Kohli closes in on Rohit at the top of ODI batting rankings
Mitchell Starc's 18 wickets in the first two Ashes Tests have pushed him up to No. 3 among Test bowlers
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Dec-2025 • 5 hrs ago
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the top-two ODI batters at the moment • BCCI
Virat Kohli's Player-of-the-Series performance against South Africa has pushed him up to No. 2 among ODI batters in the latest update in the ICC rankings. Kohli is only behind Rohit Sharma on the table.
Kohli climbed two places following the series to displace Daryl Mitchell from the second spot after tallying 302 runs at an average of 151 in the three matches against South Africa. That included back-to-back hundreds in the first two matches before an unbeaten 65 in the third game as India won the series 2-1.
Rohit, meanwhile, held on to the top spot after a good time of it himself. He struck two half-centuries on his way to 146 runs in the series at an average of 48.67, and has 781 rating points compared to Kohli's 773.
Apart from Kohli and Rohit, India also had KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav gaining in the ODI rankings. Rahul, who had stood in as captain against South Africa, is up two places to No. 12 among batters after scores of 60 and 66* in the first two ODIs. Kuldeep, whose nine wickets were the most in the series, stepped up three places up to No. 3 among bowlers.
South Africa's Dewald Brevis, meanwhile, entered the top ten among T20I batters, rising three places to No. 8 with his 22 in the first game against India.
There were also gains for Australia's in-form quick Mitchell Starc, who has starred with successive Player-of-the-Match awards in the ongoing Ashes series against England. Starc gained three places to rise to No. 3 among Test bowlers, with 852 rating points. Both are career-high numbers for Starc, who has 18 wickets at an average of 14 in the series so far.
Among Test batters, Joe Root continues to lead the table after a knock of 138* in Brisbane, his first Test century in Australia. Root is followed by Kane Williamson and Steven Smith on the table, with both batters having gained one spot each. While Williamson scored 52 in the first Test against West Indies in Christchurch, Smith has got 103 runs at an average of 51.50, including a best of 61, so far in the Ashes.