Amid growing speculation about his future in international cricket, India’s veteran opener Rohit Sharma has added another golden chapter in his illustrious career by rising to the top of the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings for the first time in his career. Rohit dethroned current India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, who had an underwhelming Australia tour.
At 38 years and 182 days, Rohit is now the oldest batter ever to claim the No. 1 spot in ICC men’s rankings, surpassing India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who last held the top position in Tests at 38 years and 73 days back in 2011. The milestone marks Rohit’s first-ever reign at the summit of the ODI batting charts — a rare achievement for a player deep into the twilight of his international journey.
The milestone comes on the back of a stellar return to the 50-over format during India’s recent three-match ODI series in Australia, where Rohit topped the scoring charts with 202 runs in three innings, including a masterful century in the Sydney decider that powered India to a nine-wicket victory.
That innings — his 33rd ODI century and 50th in international cricket — capped off a record-breaking series for the Indian captain in which he shattered multiple long-standing marks.
With his latest run of form, Rohit gained 36 rating points, moving from 741 to 781 points, edging past current India captain Shubman Gill to seize the No. 1 position. Gill, who had held the top ranking since late 2023, now slipped to third spot behind Rohit and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran.
Gill scored only 43 runs in three outings against Australia. Virat Kohli, who started the Australia tour with consecutive ducks, scored an unbeaten 74 in the third ODI but that was not enough to help him keep his No.5 spot in the ODI rankings. He slipped one spot to find himself in the sixth position. Shreyas Iyer rose to the 9th spot.
