ICC Rankings: Daryl Mitchell Reclaims No.1 Spot from Kohli, Sets Clear Lead at the Top

New Delhi: Daryl Mitchell has stunned Indian cricket fans by overtaking Virat Kohli to reclaim the No.1 position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Mitchell’s rise was anticipated, as he was just one rating point behind Kohli last week.

Mitchell Tops Kohli Just 7 Days After Virat’s Return
Mitchell’s stellar performance in India, including two centuries and a fifty in the three-match ODI series, has propelled him past Virat Kohli. Kohli had returned to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings last week after 1,645 days, but Mitchell claimed the top spot just seven days later. The New Zealand star has now established a substantial lead over Kohli, ensuring he is likely to remain No.1 for a significant period. Meanwhile, Kohli retains a comfortable lead over third-ranked Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran. Despite a poor series, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma remains at fourth in the rankings.

Mitchell’s Journey to No.1
This marks the second time Mitchell has reached the No.1 ODI batting ranking. He first attained the top spot in November 2025 but was overtaken by Rohit Sharma, who became No.1 for the first time in his ODI career. Currently, Mitchell has 845 rating points, while Kohli stands at 795. Despite Kohli’s remarkable 124 off 108 balls in the last ODI, his rating points did not increase sufficiently to retain the top spot.

Record-Breaking Series Against India
Mitchell’s batting heroics against India have set several records. He amassed 352 runs in the three-match ODI series, the most by any batsman in a single ODI series against India. This is also a record for a Kiwi player in a single series. Globally, he ranks third in most runs in a single ODI series, behind Pakistan’s Babar Azam (360 vs West Indies, 2016) and India’s Shubman Gill (360 vs New Zealand, 2023).

Additionally, Mitchell now stands second for most centuries against India in ODIs, with four, behind AB de Villiers’ five. Impressively, he has never been dismissed for a duck in his 54-match ODI career, placing him second in the world for longest streak without a zero. The record is held by former Australian and South African cricketer Kepler Wessels, who went 105 innings without a duck between 1983 and 1994.

Rohit Drops to Fourth, Other Ranking Updates
Rohit Sharma’s poor series performance against New Zealand has caused him to slip from third to fourth in the rankings. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran now occupies third with 764 points, while Rohit has 757. Shubman Gill is fifth with 723 points, and Babar Azam is sixth with 722 points. Shreyas Iyer has fallen out of the top 10 to 11th place (656 points), with teammate KL Rahul moving into the top 10 after a century in the second ODI. Other notable positions include Ireland’s Harry Tector (7th, 708 points), West Indies’ Shai Hope (8th, 701 points), and Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka (9th, 690 points).

Notable Gains for New Zealand Players
Glenn Phillips leaped 16 spots to 20th after scoring 106 off 88 balls in Indore. In the ODI all-rounder rankings, Phillips rose 14 places to 31st. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Umarzai remains the No.1 all-rounder. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell also gained six places in the ODI bowling rankings, now ranked 33rd.