Star Indian opening batter Shubman Gill, who has been in red-hot form these days, on Wednesday (February 19) pipped star Pakistani batter and former captain Babar Azam to become the new world No. 1 ODI batter. The 25-year-old cricketer from Punjab has 796 rating points to his name, which is 23 more as compared to Babar (773). It is the second time in ODI history that Gill has moved to the No. 1 ranking in the ODI rankings.
Gill was in red-hot form for Rohit Sharma-led side in a recently concluded three-match ODI series against England. He scored 87 runs off 96 balls in the series opener played at VCA Stadium in Nagpur on February 6, and in the second match at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium, he slammed 60 runs off 52 balls. During the final match of the series, played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 19, Gill opened the innings for the hosts and amassed a total of 112 runs.
During this time on the pitch at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Gill made 112 runs off 102 balls with 14 fours and three sixes.
The Indian team management and fans will hope that the right-handed batter can maintain his demeanor at the Champions Trophy 2025 and help Men in Blue reach the title again for the third time.
Apart from Gill, Shreyas Iyer has also positioned himself well in the ICC ODI batter’s rankings. Iyer scored 59, 44, and 78 runs respectively in three ODIs against the side led by Jos Buttler, and has risen a rank to the new world No. 9 ODI batter, now with 679 rating points.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is still No. 3, and Virat Kohli is at No. 6 with rating points of 729.
In the bowler’s rankings, Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana dethroned Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to claim the No. 1 position. Theekshana has 680 rating points to her credit while Rashid is in the second position with 669.
