Virat Kohli is back at No. 1 in the ICC Men's ODI Rankings after his 93-run knock vs New Zealand. With 785 points, he is just ahead of Daryl Mitchell. This is his 11th time at the top and first since July 2021. He also crossed 28,000 runs.
Star India batter Virat Kohli has reclaimed his No. 1 spot in the ICC Men's Rankings after his 93-run knock in the India vs New Zealand three-match ODI series opener at Vadodara on Sunday. Kohli now sits at the summit of the ICC ODI Batters' rankings with 785 rating points to his name, just one ahead of the second-placed New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, who has 784 points.
A Historic Return to the Top
This is the first time that the legendary cricketer has occupied the No.1 spot in ODI rankings since July 2021. Kohli first rose to the top of the rankings in October 2013, and now marks his 11th separate stint at the number one position, as per ICC's website. To date, he has spent a total of 825 days at the summit-- the 10th highest by any player overall, and the most by an Indian.
Splendid Run of Form
Virat Kohli has been in splendid form since the last match of the Australia vs India ODI series Down Under in October last year. He has registered fifty-plus scores in all of his last seven 50-over matches. His last seven scores read: 93, 77 (Vijay Hazare Trophy), 131 (Vijay Hazare Trophy), 65, 102, 135, and 74.
Dominance in 2025
In 2025, Kohli featured in 13 ODI matches and scored 651 runs at an excellent average of 65.10, emerging as India's leading run-scorer in the calendar year. Kohli also shone in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament, where the right-hand batter scored 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50. He scored a century and a half-century in the tournament.
Match-Winning Knock and New Milestones
In the India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI, Kohli's 93 earned him the 'Player of the Match' award as he helped guide the Men in Blue over the line, chasing a 301-run target. With the 93-run knock, Kohli now has 1,091 runs in 300-plus successful chases in ODIs, averaging 121.22 and striking at 125.25, including seven hundreds and two fifties.
During his knock against New Zealand, Kohli also became the fastest player to reach 28,000 runs across formats in international cricket and the second-most prolific scorer, behind Sachin Tendulkar. He now has 28,068 runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. (ANI)
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