Daryl Mitchell dethrones Virat Kohli to become the new No. 1 ranked ICC ODI batter

Daryl Mitchell became the no. 1 ranked ODI batter in ICC ranking for the second time in his career.

Following his consecutive hundreds against India in the most recent ODI series, New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell has risen to the top of the ICC ODI batter rankings. This followed the January 21 release of the updated ICC rankings by the governing body. Virat Kohli, who recently regained the top spot on the January 14 update, has been supplanted by Mitchell.

At the Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 18, India captain Shubman Gill chose to bowl first after winning the toss. After the Black Caps fell behind 5/2 in the third and final ODI game, Daryl Mitchell came onto the field at No. 4. He hammered the Indian bowling attack, especially attacking the spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.

Mitchell made 137 runs, his highest score in ODI cricket, and added 219 runs with Glenn Phillips, who made 106, for the fourth wicket. They led New Zealand to 337/8 in 50 overs.

Virat Kohli loses No. 1 ODI rank to Daryl Mitchell in new ICC Rankings

After a fantastic ODI series against India, Mitchell surpassed Kohli despite Kohli’s rating rising by ten points. The gap at the top of the rankings grew as the New Zealand batter shot up from 784 to 845 points.

Following a string of high scores in the fifty-over format, Kohli reclaimed the top spot last week. But in the most recent update, Mitchell, who was only one point behind him in second position, has now overtaken him.

He appropriately succeeds Kohli (795 points), who falls to No. 2 on the list in the most recent rankings, with 845 ranking points. Ibrahim Zadran, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and the previously mentioned Babar are among the chasing pack that the two avoid.

Mitchell has held the top spot in ODI cricket for the second time, although last November, he was surpassed by Rohit in just three days.

Mitchell was adjudged Player of the Series in New Zealand’s historic triumph, finishing as the highest run-scorer with 352 runs from three innings at an average of 176. His tally included two hundreds and a fifty.

This century was Mitchell’s ninth ODI century and he became the fourth-fastest to nine one-day international hundreds, in only his 54th innings. He sits behind Imam-ul-Haq (48), Hashim Amla (52) and Quinton de Kock (53).

Only Babar Azam of Pakistan (360 against the West Indies in 2016) and Shubman Gill of India (360 against New Zealand in 2023) have scored more than him in a three-match ODI series. His series total of 352 runs is the highest ever by a New Zealander.

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