Rohit Sharma Overtakes Babar Azam In ICC Rankings Despite Not Playing Since March

Amidst talk that Rohit Sharma’s future in ODI cricket — and subsequently international cricket — might be over, the team India 50-over skipper has risen to No.2 in the ICC batter’s rankings, climbing past Pakistan’s talisman Babar Azam.

Rohit last played ODI cricket in March, but Babar’s horror West Indies tour has seen the 38-year-old leapfrog the Pakistan ace. Babar, across the three ODIs away in the West Indies, managed just 56 runs at an average of 18.66. In fact, it’s now been nearly two years since Babar last scored an ODI ton, with his last century coming against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup. He’s since averaged 36.07 across 29 ODI innings.

Rohit is one of three Indian batters in the top four, with Shubman Gill (1st) and Virat Kohli (4th) being the other two. Shreyas Iyer, placed at 8th spot, is the other Indian in the top 10 of the ODI batter rankings. 

As far as T20Is are concerned, Abhishek Sharma is still the No.1 batter in the world, while Tilak Varma has jumped to second place. Phil Salt (3rd) has overtaken Travis Head, who has slipped down two spots after back-to-back failures against South Africa, while Jos Buttler is 5th. India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav (6th) is the only other Indian in the top 10. 

The most significant mover of the week in the rankings when it comes to T20Is is Tim David, who has jumped six spots to break into the Top 10. David has been on fire in the shortest format, bludgeoning bowling units batting in the top five, ever since the start of the Windies tour. His teammate Cameron Green has also moved six spots to jump to 17th position. 

New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy continues to be the top-ranked bowler in T20I cricket.