New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell has etched his name into the record books by rising to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, overtaking Indian great Virat Kohli in the latest update released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday.
Mitchell now sits atop the rankings with 845 rating points, while Kohli has slipped to second place with 795 points. Although Kohli scored 23 and a brilliant 124 in the final two matches of the ODI series against New Zealand and gained rating points, Mitchell’s superior performances during the same period propelled him to the top.
Only South African great AB de Villiers has scored more ODI centuries in India against India (five) than Daryl Mitchell, who now has four to his name.
Remarkably consistent, Mitchell has not been dismissed for a duck in 54 ODI innings, the second-longest such streak in the history of the format. The only player ahead of him is Kepler Wessels, who was never out for zero across an extraordinary 105 ODI innings between 1983 and 1994.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who began the series as the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, has dropped to fourth place after a lean run across three matches. He currently has 757 rating points. Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran, meanwhile, has climbed one spot despite not featuring in any recent ODIs.
KL Rahul has made a notable jump into the top 10 following his century in the second ODI against New Zealand. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter now has 670 rating points and could have climbed higher had he not faltered in the series decider.
Shubman Gill remains steady at fifth place, with his half-century in the second ODI helping him retain his position among the top-ranked batters in the format.
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