Rohit Sharma reclaims No.1 ODI ranking just days before South Africa series

Rohit Sharma has reclaimed the no. 1 spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, stepping above New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell just days before India’s ODI series against South Africa begins. Mitchell slipped in the charts after missing the last two ODIs against the West Indies, which opened the door for Rohit to move back to the top. The timing works well for Rohit, who now enters the Ranchi ODI against South Africa with fresh confidence and another reminder of his consistency in the format over the past decade.

New Zealand still had a few bright spots despite Mitchell’s drop. Rachin Ravindra moved up to 12th, while Devon Conway jumped 11 places to 31st. West Indies captain Shai Hope also climbed to eighth after his unbeaten century in the same series. On the bowling side, Mitchell Santner rose to sixth, and Matt Henry moved into a tie for 10th.

In T20Is, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza reached a personal career high by becoming the No 1 all-rounder. His form in the ongoing tri-series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka has helped him dominate both with bat and ball.

There were some notable changes in the Test rankings, too. England’s Ollie Pope climbed to 24th, while Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, and Litton Das made gains after their win over Ireland. Mitchell Starc jumped to fifth among Test bowlers following a strong performance against England, and Taijul Islam rose to 15th. Among all-rounders, Ben Stokes moved to second behind Ravindra Jadeja.

Rohit also picked up another honour off the field. He has been announced as the tournament ambassador for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. ICC Chair Jay Shah announced the schedule reveal for the event, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.