Babar Azam’s reign as the number one One Day International batter has come to an end after more than two years, as Indian Shubman Gill dethroned the Pakistani skipper in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Batting Rankings.
Indian Shubman Gill overtakes Babar Azam as top ODI hitter
Gill ascended to the top spot after a strong start to India’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign. With his ascension, he has become India’s fourth top-ranked player, joining Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli.
Every Wednesday, the ICC rankings are updated. Gill now leads with 830 points, while Babar is second with 824 points. Apart from Gill, India’s Virat Kohli has made a significant stride by securing the fourth position in the rankings. Following his outstanding performance against New Zealand, Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman has risen to 11th place in the rankings. The bowling rankings also saw a significant shift.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was ranked first last week, has been dethroned by India’s Mohammed Siraj. The Pakistani southpaw is now tied for fifth place with Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, behind India’s Kuldeep Yadav, Australia’s Adam Zampa, and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj.
Despite missing the World Cup due to injury, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan maintains No. 1 in the all-rounder rankings. Glenn Maxwell of Australia, on the other hand, moved up two spots to sixth after his match-winning heroics against Afghanistan in Mumbai the day before.
