India opener Shubman Gill becomes no.1 ODI batter, dethrones Pakistan's Babar Azam

Shubman Gill scripted history on Wednesday (Nov 8) by becoming the no.1 ranked ODI batter in the world, ending Pakistan captain Babar Azam's nearly two-year reign over the position. While Gill took over the top spot in batting, his teammate Mohammed Siraj also reclaimed the No.1 ranking among ODI bowlers in the latest ICC rankings

Gill became just the fourth player from India, behind Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to join the exclusive no.1 ranked ODI batter club.

Babar slipped to the second spot with a drop of six rating points to 824 after having a relatively subdued World Cup campaign so far where he has totalled only 282 runs in eight innings.

Gill's rise to the top was accentuated by hissolid start to the World Cup campaign where he has contributed scores of 92 against Sri Lanka and 23 against South Africa over the last week and amassed a total of 219 runs from six innings in the tournament. Notably, Gill missed the early stages of the tournament due to dengue.

The 24-year-old has had a stellar 2023 where he is currently the leading run-scorer in ODIs. He smashed a double hundred against New Zealand earlier this year to join the elite company of nine other batters to have reached the milestone. He was also chosen as the ICC Men's Player of the Month for September.

Other big gainers

Gill rises to the top for the first time in his short but impressive career, while Kohli jumps three places to fourth - and within one rating point of third-placed South African Quinton de Kock - courtesy of his 543 runs at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Siraj improved two spots to take the first position. His teammates Kuldeep Yadav (up three places to fourth), Jasprit Bumrah (up three spots to eighth) and Mohammed Shami (up seven places to 10th) are all nestled within the top 10.

(With inputs from agencies)