Shubman Gill is the new top-ranked batter in ODI cricket, taking the position from Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan. Gill had a slow start in the 2023 ODI World Cup because he missed the initial matches due to dengue.
In a recent match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, he came very close to scoring a century. In this World Cup, he has accumulated 219 runs in six matches with an average of 36.50.
Shubman Gill’s recent performances have boosted his ICC ODI ranking rating to 830, which is six points higher than the second-ranked player, Babar Azam. Babar Azam has had a mixed tournament with three half-centuries in his last four innings.
Shubman Gill joins an exclusive club of Indian batters, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, to become the number one ranked ODI batter. India’s successful run in the ODI World Cup has also seen other players’ rankings improve.
Middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer, who contributed with fifties in recent wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa, has climbed from 35th place to the 18th spot in the rankings.
India’s bowlers are prominently featured in the rankings, with Mohammed Siraj taking the top spot from Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, holding a rating of 709.
Furthermore, several other Indian bowlers, including Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami, are also ranked in the top ten among ODI bowlers.
Shubman Gill has been in a great form
Shubman Gill has been on a roll in 2023, achieving numerous milestones like scoring a double century in ODIs and winning the IPL Orange Cap. He now has a chance to add the ODI World Cup to his achievements.
However, becoming the No.1 ranked batter took some time because Babar Azam consistently performed well in various series, including the home ODI series against New Zealand, the bilateral series against Afghanistan, and the 2023 Asia Cup.
India’s cricket team still has at least two more matches left in the ongoing World Cup and three more ODIs against South Africa by the end of the year. This provides Shubman Gill with a great chance to make history.
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