After Nearly 4 Years, the King Reclaims His Throne in ICC Rankings

The ICC rankings have updated once again, and it is a massive change for the fans to witness. Virat Kohli, the top ODI batsman, has regained his position at the top. Dethroning Rohit Sharma, Kohli gains the top spot in ICC rankings after 1403 days.

Some happy signs are emerging for the Indian team ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Their two stalwarts have been at their absolute best, despite playing just one format of the game. And the start of 2026 has been impressive, bringing nostalgia to the fans, with Virat Kohli regaining his spot at the top in the ICC rankings.

In the first ODI, Virat Kohli was able to bring up his fifth consecutive 50+ score in ODIs. And this eventually made everyone know that on Wednesday, it will be The King, who reclaims his spot at the top. It has now happened, with Kohli holding the top spot in the ICC rankings after a huge gap of 1403 days. After 13 March 2022, Kohli is back to reign in the ODI format.

1. Updated ICC Rankings

With the updated ICC ODI rankings, three of India's batsmen remain in the top five of the same. Rohit Sharma, who earlier stood at the top had a terrible start to the series against New Zealand. Following the first game, he has now been dropped to the third spot, as his reign at the top now comes to an end.

Daryl Mitchell had a great start to the series, as he went on to score 84 runs against India. This has helped him to get back to the 2nd spot in the rankings. But at number one, there lies a batsman who has dominated the ODI format consistently over the last decade for the Indian team. And he is none other than Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli is now back at the helm, as the 37-year-old has regained his spot at the top in the ICC Men's ODI rankings. He scored 93 runs in the last game, which has helped him to get back to the top, with 785 points. However, the gap between Kohli and Mitchell remains at just one point.

It also means that the second ODI, which is currently taking place, will play an important role. If Kohli is able to score runs and Mitchell fails, Kohli will be able to continue his reign at the top. And if that doesn't happen, the time for Virat Kohli at the top will be short.

2. Kohli's Reign at The Top

Virat Kohli is always known for his reign at the top, regardless of the formats. Across all formats of the game, even in Tests and T20Is, he has been able to get to the top of the ICC rankings. Now that he has retired from the Tests and T20Is, he still stands tall at the top in the ODI rankings. For the first time, he became the top ODI batsman back in 2013.

And he continued his dominance at the top, competing against the legends of the previous era, his era, and even the next generation. Players came and went back, but Kohli's dominance in the ODI format remained as it was. This is also the reason why Kohli is the only ODI batsman for India to have crossed 900+ ratings.

It should also be noted that Virat Kohli held the record of most consecutive days as ODI number one batsman for the Indian team. He remained at the top in the ICC ODI rankings for 1258 days, being the only Indian to reach this mark. This remained from 2017 to 2021, covering the majority of his prime time in the game.

3. Kohli's Red Hot Form

Virat Kohli made his comeback to the ODI format with the series against Australia. He did not get a good start to the same, as Kohli registered consecutive ducks in the first two games. But in the third match, he was able to bring up a half-century, which helped India to win the game. After this knock, he didn't look back even once.

He went on to dominate for India in the series against South Africa at home. Kohli brought up two consecutive centuries and finished the series with a half-century. With his remarkable consistency, fans were reminded of his brilliance in 2016, as Kohli also won the Player of the Match award.

After the South Africa series, Rohit Sharma remained at the top, and Kohli gained ranks to be present at the second position. With his 93-run knock against New Zealand in the first game, he was able to dethrone Rohit Sharma from the top, and even maintained a gap with Daryl Mitchell, as he brought his fifth consecutive 50+ score in ODIs.