The superstar Indian cricketer is having a renaissance at the age of 37, where he is making runs at will. He topped the list of run scorers in the three-match India-South Africa ODI series. Thanks to his batting exploits on the field, he is now ranked no. 2 in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings. Now, he sits right behind his countryman Rohit Sharma after climbing two places in the rankings. He is now just 8 points behind Rohit. He is now returning towards the number one spot since being overtaken by Babar Azam in April 2021.
In the three-match ODI series against South Africa, we saw the vintage Virat Kohli at work – doing what he does best, punishing the bowlers. He piled up a staggering 302 runs and was awarded the Player of the Series trophy. Virat scored consecutive hundreds in the first (135 runs) and second (102) ODIs. He finished off with an unbeaten 65 in the last game to secure second place in the ICC ODI rankings.
Rohit Sharma is sitting pretty at the top after making 146 runs in the series as well. However, he was overshadowed by Kohli’s dominance in the series. The former Indian captain displayed a steady form throughout the series, ensuring India held on to the top two spots. You can say that we’ve returned to an era where these two batters used to dominate the ICC ODI rankings.
Shubman Gill was rested for the series yet held his no. 5 spot firmly. This shows us the stability of the batting order of India in the ODI setup. The stand-in captain, KL Rahul, also performed well and jumped two spots to no. 12.
On the bowling front, Kuldeep Yadav jumped three spots to number 3 in the ODI bowlers rankings. He was the highest wicket-taker in the series and helped his country by breaking partnerships at crucial junctures.
South African players also jumped a few positions and benefited from this closely fought series. Quinton de Kock climbed three places to No. 13, while Aiden Markram moved to 25th, and skipper Temba Bavuma climbed to 37th. These players were also rewarded for their contributions in the series.
