In the most recent ICC ODI batting rankings, India's cricket luminary Virat Kohli suffered a setback, losing his No.1 position. New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell has now claimed the top spot owing to his stellar performance in recent matches, while Kohli's ranking saw a decline.
Just last week, Kohli overtook Rohit Sharma to become the top ODI batsman, marking his return to the pinnacle for the first time since July 2021. However, Mitchell's impressive show in the recently concluded ODI series bumped Kohli down to second place. Mitchell now boasts 845 ranking points, whereas Kohli has slipped to second with 795 points. Other notable batsmen Ibrahim Zadran, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Babar Azam trail behind these top contenders.
This marks the second instance of Mitchell's ascent to the No.1 spot in ODI rankings, his previous tenure being a brief three days in November last year before Rohit Sharma reclaimed it.
Source: aajtak
Mitchell Dominates ODI Series
Born in Hamilton, Daryl Mitchell is enjoying the best form of his career, amassing a total of 352 runs in the three-match ODI series. He was named Player of the Match in the second game, scoring an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls, which helped New Zealand equalize and ultimately win the series.
Though New Zealand lost the opening match, Mitchell was the top scorer for his team with 84 off 71 balls. His 352 runs in a three-match series now stand as the highest ever by a New Zealand player and the third highest globally, bested only by Pakistan's Babar Azam (360 runs against West Indies in 2016) and India's Shubman Gill (360 runs against New Zealand in 2023).
Mitchell's consecutive innings exceeding 130 runs bring him on par with New Zealand legend Martin Guptill, who also boasts four scores over 130 in ODIs.
Regarding ODIs against India in India, Mitchell has become the fourth leading centurion, with only South Africa's AB de Villiers ahead, having scored five centuries in India.
Mitchell has batted in 54 ODI innings so far without getting out on a duck even once. This remarkable streak is the second-longest in ODI history, trailing only Kepler Wessels who played 105 ODI innings without a duck from 1983 to 1994.
