Rohit breaks Sachin's record; becomes oldest no.1 batter in ODI rankings

At 38, Rohit Sharma achieves a long-awaited career milestone by rising to the top of the ICC ODI batting charts for the first time, overtaking Shubman Gill

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In a milestone moment for Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma has claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings for the first time in his decorated career. The 38-year-old veteran replaced teammate Shubman Gill, who endured a lean run during India’s recent tour of Australia.

 

At 38 years and 182 days, Rohit became the oldest cricketer ever to top the men’s ODI batting rankings, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who last held the No. 1 spot in Tests at 38 years and 73 days in 2011. Rohit now joins an exclusive club of Indian icons like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, who have all held the No. 1 ODI batting ranking. 

Century in Sydney seals the climb

Rohit’s latest climb up the rankings was fuelled by a commanding return to form during the three-match ODI series against Australia, where he was India’s top run-scorer with 202 runs in three innings. His crowning performance came in Sydney, where he struck an unbeaten 121 off 125 balls to guide India to a nine-wicket win in the decider.

 

Team sources said Rohit had looked “in complete control” throughout the series, mixing patience with his trademark flair. His gritty 73 off 97 deliveries in Adelaide had already hinted at a return to his best before the Sydney masterclass sealed it. These innings earned him 36 additional rating points, taking his tally to 781 — enough to edge past Gill and Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran.

Shubman slips as veterans rise

For Gill, the tour proved frustrating. The 25-year-old, who had held the top ODI ranking since late 2023, managed only 43 runs in three innings. As a result, he dropped to third place, while Zadran climbed to second.

 

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, who endured back-to-back ducks before scoring an unbeaten 74 in Sydney, slipped one position to sixth in the updated rankings. Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, gained ground, rising to ninth place after a solid run of middle-order contributions.

ICC ODI Batters Rankings:

Pos	Team	Player	Rating	Career Best Rating
1	India	Rohit Sharma	781	882
2	Afghanistan	Ibrahim Zadran	764	764
3	India	Shubman Gill	745	847
4	Pakistan	Babar Azam	739	898
5	New Zealand	Daryl Mitchell	734	751
6	India	Virat Kohli	725	909
7	Sri Lanka	Charith Asalanka	716	725
8	Ireland	Harry Tector	708	767
9	India	Shreyas Iyer	700	710
10	West Indies	Shai Hope	690	802
11	Sri Lanka	Kusal Mendis	656	669
12	Sri Lanka	Pathum Nissanka	654	728
13	Australia	Travis Head	653	697
14	India	KL Rahul	631	675
15	West Indies	Keacy Carty	630	662
16	Afghanistan	Rahmanullah Gurbaz	626	686
17	Ireland	Paul Stirling	625	698
18	New Zealand	Rachin Ravindra	618	643
19	South Africa	Rassie van der Dussen	610	797
20	England	Joe Root	609	816