Former India captain Virat Kohli has gained two places to move to No. 7 in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters, updated on Wednesday, October 11. Virat Kohli was rewarded for his match-winning 85 against Australia in India’s Cricket World Cup 2023 opening match in Chennai on Sunday.
KL Rahul was also rewarded for his sensational 97 not out against the 5-time world champions as he broke back into the top 20 in ICC ODI Batting charts. KL Rahul is now ranked No. 17 in the batting charts and is looking set to move upwards, considering his improved form since his return to the side in Asia Cup 2023.
Rahul and Virat Kohli steered India out of trouble against Australia in Chennai. India were reduced to 2 for 3 after Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer got out without troubling the scorers. Kohli and Rahul added 165 runs for the 4th wicket as they took India past the finish line and assured the team of 2 points in their opener.
Kohli can break into the top 5 as he is chasing the likes of Quinton de Kock (6), David Warner (5) and Harry Tector (729). Kohli has 715 rating points, only 9 fewer than Quinton de Kock.
De Kock’s blazing hundred for South Africa against Sri Lanka has lifted the opener one spot higher to sixth in the batting rankings, as he sets out to make his mark in a last 50-over tournament before retiring from the format.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill is hot on the heels of top-ranked Babar Azam, who has 835 rating points, only 5 more than the young India opener.
While Gill did not play the first two games for India in World Cup 2023 due to illness, it remains to be seen if he will be fit to take the field against Pakistan in the marquee league game on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Babar Azam, on the other hand, has struggled to get going so far in World Cup 2023, managing just 15 runs in 2 matches. However, Pakistan have managed to beat the Netherlands and Sri Lanka to get off to a perfect start in their campaign in India.
