New Delhi, Oct, 25: Babar Azam’s lead at the top of the ICC ODI Rankings for batters was reduced further as India’s Shubman Gill is within touching distance of the Pakistan captain. Babar, who hit a 74 in a losing cause against Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, has 829 rating points after having had a poor start to the tournament in India.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill, who missed the fist two matches of the World Cup due to dengue, took his tally to 823 points, just 6 behind Babar Azam.
Shubman Gill has been threatening to displace Babar Azam from the top spot and considering the opener’s form in 2023, he is likely to pip Babar Azam as the new No. 1 batter in ODI cricket in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, former India captain Virat Kohli broke into the top 5 once again after some sensational performances i the World Cup. Kohli has jumped 4 spots to No. 5 and is looking set to move further up the ladder. He is tied at the 5th spot with David Warner, who has also been enjoying a fine run in the World Cup.
Virat Kohli was in fine form as he scored 95 against New Zealand in Dharmsala, helping India make it 5 wins out of 5 matches in World Cup 2023. Kohli had hit 103 not out against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, taking his ODI century tally to 48, one behind Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli began the World Cup with a match-winning 85 against Australia and followed it up with 55 not out against Afghanistan. His only blip came against Pakistan when he managed 16.
South Africa batters Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen have also moved up the ladder in the ICC ODI rankings. De Kock has hit 3 hundreds in 5 matches in World Cup 2023, becoming only the 7th batter in the history of the tournament to hit at least 3 hundreds in a single edition.
De Kock is within striking distance in third place on the rankings for ODI batters following a superb start to the World Cup that has seen him score three magnificent centuries.
Quinton de Kock is the leader of the batting charts in World Cup 2023 with 407 runs in 5 innings while Virat Kohli is at the 2nd spot with 354 runs. India captain Rohit Sharma is at the third spot with 311 runs.
Klaasen, who has been the best finisher in the tournament, has moved up 7 places to No. 5, his new career-high spot in ODI Rankings.
ICC ODI RANKINGS FOR BATTERS (TOP 10)
1. Babar Azam – 829 rating points
2. Shubman Gill – 826
3. Quinton de Kock – 769
4. Heinrich Klaasen – 756
5. Virat Kohli – 747
5. David Warner – 747
7. Harry Tector – 729
8. Rohit Sharma – 725
9. Rassie van der Dussen – 716
10. Imam-ul-Haq – 704
