Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the number one ODI batsman in ICC ODI rankings on Wednesday. Babar surpassed Virat Kohli at the top of the rankings table with 865 points. Kohli now comes second in the list with 857 points and Babar now leads the Indian captain by eight points, the ICC said in a statement. Rohit Sharma is third on the list with 825 points to his name.
Kohli was the number one ranked ODI batsman from August 2017 to April 2021, counting to 1,258 days. Babar, a star of the Under-19 World Cups in 2010 and 2012 and who has been playing ODIs since 2015, rose to the numero uno position after he became the second-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against South Africa. The right-hander scored 228 runs with the highest score of 103.
In Tests, Babar has attained a best of the fifth position and is currently ranked sixth while in T20Is he is third but has been number one in the past.
Among bowlers, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has held on to his fourth position behind top-ranked Trent Boult of New Zealand, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman and another Kiwi pacer Matt Henry.
(Inputs from PTI)