Kohli's Ranchi Century: Closing In on Rohit for ODI Top Spot

In the first ODI of India's three-match series against South Africa in Ranchi, Kohli, 37, scored an impressive 135 off 120 balls. His performance elevated him one place, now ranking fourth among ODI batters in the latest ICC Men's Player Rankings.

This brings Kohli's rating up to 751 points, placing him just 32 points behind teammate Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI batter rankings. Kohli was the leading batter for over three years towards the end of the last decade but has not held the top spot since Pakistan's Babar Azam overtook him in April 2021.

Meanwhile, Rohit extended his lead at the top, surpassing second-placed Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand and Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran in third, while Kohli moved ahead of his teammate Shubman Gill to claim the fourth position, closing the gap on the former India captain at the top.

India celebrated additional success as veteran left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav advanced one spot to rank sixth among ODI bowlers. Meanwhile, the top spot in the T20I all-rounder rankings changed once more after the recent tri-series in Pakistan.

Pakistan secured the tri-series with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the final, and opener Saim Ayub capitalised on the success by reclaiming his position at the top of the T20I all-rounders rankings.

Ayub initially claimed the top spot at the start of October but was recently overtaken by Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza. However, his performance of 36 in the tri-series final, along with a crucial Sri Lankan wicket from four economical overs, helped the impressive 23-year-old regain one place and move back up to No.1.

Teammates Abrar Ahmed (climbing four spots to fourth) and Mohammad Nawaz (rising two spots to 11th) benefited from Pakistan's success in the tri-series as they improved their positions in the T20I bowling rankings.

Additionally, Nawaz advanced three places to fourth among all-rounders after being named Player of the Tournament.

Sri Lanka will be boosted by Kamil Mishara's performance in the tri-series, where he scored 169 runs over four innings and climbed from outside the top 100 to the 18th spot among T20I batters.

Moreover, three Bangladesh players also saw improvements after their recent 2-1 series victory against Ireland at home.

Parvez Hossain Emon rises 21 places to 38th, and Towhid Hridoy moves up five positions to share 42nd, as both make gains in the T20I batter rankings. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman climbs two spots to eighth in the T20I bowler list.

South African players experienced significant improvements after their Test series sweep against India. Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen was the biggest winner, rising in both bowling and all-rounder rankings due to his strong performance in the 2-0 series victory.

Jansen achieved a new career-high rating by climbing five spots to fifth on the Test bowlers list. Meanwhile, teammate Simon Harmer surged 13 places to 11th after taking 17 wickets across two matches and earning Player of the Series honours.

Jansen advanced four spots to second in the Test all-rounders rankings. Meanwhile, teammates Kyle Verreynne (up three spots to 38th), Ryan Rickelton (up five places to 39th), and Tristan Stubbs (up 16 slots to 47th) all achieved notable increases in the Test batter rankings.

- IANS