Virat Kohli is closing in on teammate Rohit Sharma’s ODI batting rankings, now just 32 rating points behind after scoring his 83rd international century.Kohli, aged 37, moved up to fourth position in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings following his impressive 135 off 120 balls in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
With 751 rating points, Kohli is now within striking distance of Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI batting rankings. Kohli previously led the rankings for over three years until Pakistan’s Babar Azam surpassed him in April 2021.Rohit has strengthened his position at the top, ahead of New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell in second place and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran in third. Kohli has overtaken fellow Indian Shubman Gill to claim fourth position.India’s Kuldeep Yadav has also made progress, moving up one position to sixth in the ODI bowlers rankings.The T20I all-rounder rankings witnessed a change at the top following the recent tri-series in Pakistan. Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka in the final helped opener Saim Ayub reclaim the number one position.Ayub, who initially topped the rankings in early October before being overtaken by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, regained the top spot after scoring 36 runs and taking a crucial Sri Lankan wicket in the tri-series final.Pakistan’s success in the tri-series benefited other players as well. Abrar Ahmed climbed four spots to fourth, while Mohammad Nawaz rose two positions to 11th in the T20I bowling rankings.Nawaz, named Player of the Tournament, also improved his all-rounder ranking, moving up three places to fourth.Sri Lanka’s Kamil Mishara made significant progress, jumping from outside the top 100 to 18th position among T20I batters after scoring 169 runs in four innings during the tri-series.Bangladesh players also saw improvements following their 2-1 series win against Ireland. Parvez Hossain Emon rose 21 places to 38th, and Towhid Hridoy moved up five spots to share 42nd position in T20I batting rankings.Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman advanced two positions to eighth in the T20I bowler rankings.South African players made notable gains after their Test series sweep against India. Marco Jansen achieved significant improvements in both bowling and all-rounder rankings.Jansen reached a career-high fifth position in the Test bowlers list. His teammate Simon Harmer jumped 13 places to 11th after claiming 17 wickets in two matches and receiving Player of the Series honours.In the Test all-rounders rankings, Jansen moved up four positions to second place. Other South African players also improved their Test batting rankings, with Kyle Verreynne rising three spots to 38th, Ryan Rickelton climbing five places to 39th, and Tristan Stubbs advancing 16 positions to 47th.
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