‘King is Back to his Throne’: Virat Kohli Fans Ecstatic as Star Batter Reclaims No.1 ODI Ranking

Following a match-winning 93 against New Zealand, Virat Kohli reclaimed the No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings for the first time since July 2021, dethroning Rohit Sharma. Fans celebrated the star batter’s return to the summit after nearly five years.

Ahead of the second ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand, Team India star batter Virat Kohli regained top spot in the latest ODI rankings, released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, January 14.

The former India captain made his return to international cricket in the ODI series opener against New Zealand, playing a match-winning knock of 93 off 91 balls to help the Men in Blue secure a four-wicket win at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11. The ongoing ODI series against the Kiwis is Kohli’s second home series since his Test retirement in May 2025, having previously starred in the South Africa ODIs as the team’s standout batter.

Following his retirement from T20Is and Tests, Virat Kohli has been solely focusing on ODI cricket, with an aim of extending his illustrious international career till the 2027 World Cup, which is likely to be his swansong, and continuing to contribute as a key performer for India in the 50-over format.

Virat Kohli Returns to ICC ODI Rankings

Before walking out to the bat in the second ODI against New Zealand at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, Virat Kohli had already regained the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI Batters’ Rankings. The veteran Indian batter dethroned his teammate, Rohit Sharma, from the top spot, following his match-winning performance in the series opener against New Zealand.

After an impressive outing in the ODI series against South Africa, wherein he amassed 302 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 151 in three matches, the former India captain moved to the second spot with 773 points, just 8 points short of Rohit Sharma, who led the ICC ODI Batters rankings with 781 points.

However, Virat Kohli’s match-winning 93-run knock in the first ODI against New Zealand propelled him back to the No.1 position with 785 points, dethroning Rohit Sharma, who slipped to the third spot after New Zealand’s Daryll Mitchell climbed into second place in the ICC ODI batting rankings. However, Kohli and Mitchell are just one point apart, making the race for the No.1 ODI batting spot extremely close ahead of the remaining matches.

Virat Kohli returned to the No.1 position in the ICC ODI Batters’ Rankings for the first time since July 2021, ending a nearly five-year wait to reclaim the top spot in the format. The last time Kohli topped the rankings, he had a rating of 898 points, before being displaced by Pakistan’s Babar Azam, marking nearly five years between stints at the summit.

‘Bro is Back to his Throne’

Virat Kohli regaining the top spot in the ICC ODI Batters rankings made his fans and cricket enthusiasts ecstatic as the former Team India captain returned to the summit after nearly five years.

Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), Kohli fans and cricket enthusiasts lavished praise on Team India star batter for reclaiming his top spot in the ICC ODI rankings and hailed his return to the summit as ‘back where he belongs’ and ‘the king reclaiming his throne,’ while praising his consistency, longevity and dominance in ODI cricket even at the age of 37.

Since his return to international cricket in October 2025, Virat Kohli has been in impressive form, sparking debate over his availability for the 2027 World Cup. In eight matches, including the second ODI against New Zealand, the former India captain has amassed 492 runs, including two centuries and four fifties, at an average of 82.

In his ODI career, Virat Kohli has amassed 14573 runs, including 54 fifties and 77 fifties, at an average of 58.45 in 310 matches.