Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma continue to dominate ICC ODI batting rankings
Team India captain Virat Kohli has maintained his No. 1 spot in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma remains at No. 2 despite missing out on the ODIs in Australia due to injury.
Virat Kohli hit two half-centuries in the three-match ODI series against Australia even though the visitors went down 1-2. Virat Kohli finished the series with 173 runs at an average of 57.66 and a strike rate of 93.01, and has 870 points to his name.
While Rohit Sharma is at number two with 842 points, Pakistan captain Babar Azam is a close third with 837 points. The top four, in fact, remain unchanged with New Zealand’s Ross Taylor maintaining his No. 4 position.
Hardik Pandya outshines Virat Kohli in ODIs
Hardik Pandya, who played as a specialist batsman in the ODIs in Australia, had a terrific series with 210 runs in three games at an average of 105 and a strike rate of 114.75. Twice, he reached the 90s but could not get to the three-figure mark.
With 90 in the first match and 92 not out in the third, Hardik Pandya climbed to the 49th spot with a career-best of 553 points.
As for Australia, skipper Aaron Finch had a brilliant series with scores of 114, 60 and 75. He was the leading run-getter in the ODIs against India, hammering 249 runs at an average of 83 and a striker rate of 90.54.
The exceptional performance saw the burly Aussie batsman jump to the No. 5 spot with 791 points. Prolific Australian batsman Steve Smith, who scored back-to-back hundreds in the first two ODIs, is at No. 15 with 707 points.
The maverick Glenn Maxwell also had a memorable series with 167 runs at a strike rate of 194.18. Twice, he crossed the fifty-run mark in the series. Glenn Maxwell’s aggressive showing sees him occupy the No. 20 spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings.
With India and Australia sharing the spoils in the ODIs and T20Is, the teams are now preparing for the four-match Test series, which begins in Adelaide on December 17.