Vadodara: Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has reclaimed the top position in the ICC Men's Batters Rankings following his pivotal role in India's recent victory over New Zealand. Kohli's impressive innings of 93 runs off 91 balls was instrumental in India's successful chase of the 300-run target set by New Zealand, leading to a four-wicket win.
According to International Cricket Council, Kohli's ascendancy marks his return to the top rank for the first time since July 2021. The 37-year-old has previously held this position for a total of 825 days, the most by any Indian cricketer. His consistent performances, including scores of 74 not out, 135, 102, 65 not out, and 93 in his last five matches, have seen him maintain a strong form since the 50-over series in Australia.
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell also made gains in the ODI rankings, advancing to his highest rating, just one point behind Kohli, after an 84-run performance in the same match. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Devon Conway rose three places to reach the 29th spot.
In bowling, India's Mohammed Siraj climbed five places to rank 15th, sharing the position with Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz. New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson also saw a significant rise, moving up 27 spots after a notable four-wicket performance against India.
The conclusion of the Ashes series brought changes in the Test rankings, with Australia's Travis Head making a significant leap to the third position. Head was the leading run-scorer in the series against England, amassing 629 runs. Other notable advancements include Jacob Bethell and Michael Neser in the Test rankings, while Beau Webster improved across all departments.
In T20I rankings, Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka moved up to the second position among bowlers, while Pakistan's Salman Mirza and Sahibzada Farhan also saw their rankings improve. Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza regained the top spot among all-rounders, benefiting from a slip in Saim Ayub's position.