Former India captain Virat Kohli reclaimed the No.1 spot in the ODI Batters’ Rankings, but the ICC initially understated his total days at the top by 722. After correction to 1,547 days, he now ranks third on the all-time list.
Former Team India captain and star batter Virat Kohli reclaimed the No.1 spot in the ODI Batters’ Rankings, as per the latest update released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday, January 14. Kohli returned to the summit of the ODI Batters’ Rankings after nearly five years, ending a long wait to reclaim the top spot in the format.
Kohli dethroned India teammate Rohit Sharma from the top spot following his match-winning 93-run knock in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match series against New Zealand in Vadodara. The veteran Indian batter reclaimed the throne in the Men’s ODI Batters’ Rankings with a rating of 785 points, while his Indian teammate slipped to third spot with 775 points after New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell took second place with 784 points.
Kohli and Mitchell are just 1 point apart, with the Indian batter leading the ICC ODI Batters’ Rankings. New Zealand batter inched closer to the No.1 spot following his 84-run knock in the first ODI against Team India at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
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Glaring Error by ICC in Kohli’s No.1 Ranking
Virat Kohli’s return to the top in the ODI Batters’ Rankings left the fans ecstatic as Team India star batter reclaimed his throne after nearly five years of waiting, with his last stint in the No.1 position dating back to July 2021. However, the former India captain’s ranking update was marred by a glaring error from the International Cricket Council.
After the ICC released the latest Men’s ODI Batters’ Rankings update, it emerged that the world governing body for cricket published an incorrect figure for the number of days Virat Kohli spent as the number 1 batter in the shorter format of the game. In the initial ODI Rankings’ update, the ICC had credited him with just 825 days at No.1 and placed him at the 10th spot, understating his tally by 722 days.
An error was noticed by cricket statisticians and fans shortly after the update, prompting the ICC to review and correct Kohli’s total days as No.1 ODI Batter to 1,547 days. Before being dethroned by Babar Azam from the top of the summit in July 2021, Kohli had spent 1544 days as the No.1 ODI batter.
After the ICC made a quick correction in its official ODI batters’ rankings, Virat Kohli was officially placed third on the all-time list for most days spent as the No.1 ODI batter, behind Viv Richards and Brian Lara. Richards spent 2306 days as the No.1 ODI batter, while Lara held the top spot for 2079 days, leaving Kohli third on the all-time list following the ICC’s correction.
Viv Richards, Brian Lara, and Virat Kohli are the only players to have spent 1,500 days or more at the top of the ODI Batters’ Rankings, cementing their places among the format’s all-time greats.
How Fans Reacted to ICC Error and Correction
After the International Cricket Council (ICC) corrected the number of days Virat Kohli has spent at the top of the Men’s ODI Batters’ Rankings, fans reacted quickly to the correction, noting the significance of Kohli’s record and the ICC’s earlier miscalculation.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), Virat Kohli fans and cricket enthusiasts expressed their surprise over the ICC’s glaring error in reporting the number of days the former India captain spent at the top of the ODI rankings, while also applauding the swift correction that restored his proper ranking.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s No.1 ODI Rankings are currently under threat as Daryl Mitchell’s 131-run knock in New Zealand’s seven-wicket win over Team India in the Rajkot ODI further closes the gap, keeping the race for the top of the ICC ODI Batters’ Rankings extremely tight. After a match-winning 93-run knock in the first ODI, Kohli scored just 23 runs in the second match of the series, keeping Mitchell hot on his heels in the ICC rankings.
It remains to be seen how the battle for the No.1 spot unfolded at the end of the ongoing ODI series between India and New Zealand.
