Sydney: Former India captain Rohit Sharma has claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI batter rankings for the first time in his illustrious career. The 38-year-old opener rose two places after his magnificent unbeaten 121-run knock in the final ODI against Australia in Sydney, guiding India to a dominant nine-wicket victory.
Rohit’s explosive innings, featuring 13 fours and three sixes, alongside Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 74, sealed the series finale in style. With this performance, Rohit surpassed Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran and teammate Shubman Gill to become the world’s top-ranked ODI batter — a milestone achievement for the veteran who has consistently featured in the top 10 for over a decade.
The update also brought good news for other Indian players. Spinner Axar Patel climbed six places to 31st in the ODI bowling rankings and moved up four spots to eighth among all-rounders after his impressive showing in Sydney.
In other changes, New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner jumped three places to fourth in the ODI bowling list, while Australia’s Josh Hazlewood moved to eighth. England’s Harry Brook also made a notable leap, climbing 23 spots to 25th among ODI batters.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s emphatic eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi triggered shifts in the ICC Test rankings. Spinner Keshav Maharaj, who took nine wickets and was named Player of the Match, surged nine places to a career-best 13th among Test bowlers. His teammate Simon Harmer rose 26 spots to 45th after a six-wicket haul in the second innings.
Among batters, South Africans Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi moved up to 15th and joint 47th respectively, while pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada climbed eight positions to 11th in the Test all-rounder rankings.
Rohit’s latest achievement cements his legacy as one of modern cricket’s most consistent and destructive ODI batsmen — a player who continues to set benchmarks well into the twilight of his career.
