IND vs SA: Virat Kohli closes in on Rohit Sharma, ascends to No. 2 spot in ICC ODI rankings

Ace India batter Virat Kohli jumped up a couple of spots to come close to teammate Rohit Sharma in the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings after his commanding display in the recently-concluded ODI series against South Africa. Kohli previously held the No.1 ODI spot all the way back in March 2021.

The latest rankings were released by the International Cricket Council on December 10. As of now, Kohli is just eight points behind Rohit. New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran dropped down to No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively.

ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings (as of December 10, 2025):

Kohli was in sensational form as India ended up winning the three-match 2-1. His scores in the three ODIs read 135 off 120 (Ranchi), 102 off 93 (Raipur) and 65* off 45 (Visakhapatnam). With 302 runs in three innings at a prolific strike rate of 117.05, the 37-year-old batter also bagged the Player of the Series award.

Rohit maintained his top spot with a Player of the Series performance recently against Australia Down Under. He displaced Mitchell after being the top-scorer across both sides in the Australia series, which was Rohit and Kohli’s comeback assignment after the title-winning Champions Trophy earlier in the year. The duo has announced retirement from Tests and T20Is, now remain active only in ODIs. They will next feature against New Zealand at in a three-match home series in January.

Both Rohit and Kohli have their eyes are on the 2027 World Cup. It remains to be seen whether the team management will persist with the star cricketers.