Shubman Gill dethrones Babar Azam to claim the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings!

India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill has surpassed Pakistan’s Babar Azam to become the top-ranked ODI batter in the current ICC rankings, which were revealed days before the Champions Trophy.
Gill’s outstanding efforts in the last home series against England drove him to the top slot, displacing Babar, who had held the position for a lengthy spell.

The 25-year-old Indian opener played an important part in India’s 3-0 series victory over England, scoring two half-centuries and one century. His outstanding form earned him 796 rating points, surpassing Babar’s 773. This is Gill’s second time at the top, having previously held the No. 1 rating during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Champions Trophy 2025: Who will win today’s match between India vs Bangladesh

Shubman Gill is a potential successor to India captain Rohit Sharma in the ODI format and the latter was all praise for his opening partner on Wednesday, saying there is a reason why he has been made the vice-captain of the side.

India’s prolific batter and Sri Lanka’s ace spinner the big winners in the latest ICC Men’s Player Rankings ahead of the #ChampionsTrophy https://t.co/rUB3vR3dxh

— ICC (@ICC) February 19, 2025

Gill had a forgettable Test tour of Australia, like the majority of Indian batters but his numbers in the ODI format are phenomenal.

“Gill is a very, very classy player. There was never a doubt about his ability in this squad. We tend to mix formats and I don’t think that’s the right way to judge any player,” Rohit said.

Theekshana secures the top spot in the ODI bowling rankings.

In the bowling section, Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana has surpassed Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. Although Sri Lanka did not compete in the Champions Trophy, Theekshana’s outstanding efforts against Australia, including a four-wicket haul in Colombo, earned him 680 rating points. Rashid, now in second place, is only 11 points behind and will be desperate to recover the top spot.

Mohammad Nabi retains top all-rounder spot

Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi continues to lead the ODI all-rounder rankings, followed by Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Rashid Khan.