Virat Kohli nears top spot in ICC ODI rankings, right behind the topper, Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli is very close to becoming the top-ranked ODI (One Day International) player again, according to the ICC (International Cricket Council) rankings. As of Wednesday, December 10th, he's ranked #2, only eight rating points behind his teammate Rohit Sharma, who is currently #1.

Kohli jumped two spots in the rankings due to his outstanding performance in the recent ODI series against South Africa. He scored 302 runs in the series, averaging 151 with a strike rate of 117.05, and he was named Player of the Series. He also scored centuries in two consecutive matches.

The last time Kohli ranked No. 1 was in March 2021. He was later replaced by Pakistan’s Babar Azam.

India’s Rohit Sharma extended his dominance with a 146-run tally in the series, preserving his No. 1 spot, while Virat Kohli narrowed the gap after an unbeaten 65 in the decisive Visakhapatnam fixture.

The latest ODI batter rankings show Rohit Sharma at the summit with 781 points, followed by Virat Kohli on 773, and Daryl Mitchell at 766 in the top three.

Rounding out the top five are Shubman Gill (723) and Babar Azam (722), with the list continuing to name Harry Tector (708) in seventh, Shai Hope (701) in eighth, Charith Asalanka (690) in ninth, and Shreyas Iyer (679) in tenth.

Here's the full list:

01: Rohit Sharma (India) - 781

02: Virat Kohli (India) - 773

03: Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) - 766

04: Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan) - 764

05: Shubman Gill (India) - 723

06: Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 722

07: Harry Tector (Ireland) - 708

08: Shai Hope (West Indies) - 701

09: Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) - 690

10: Shreyas Iyer (India) - 679

Kuldeep Yadav has made a notable leap, climbing three places to secure No. 3, as Rashid Khan remains No. 1 and Jofra Archer holds the No. 2 position for Afghanistan and England, respectively.

In India’s recent ODI series versus South Africa, Kuldeep was the leading wicket-taker, bagging nine wickets across three matches at an economy of 6.23. His best came in the deciding game, where he posted figures of 10-1-41-4.

Among all-rounders, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai continues to top the all-rounders ranking, with Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz following in the standings.