Virat Kohlis SA Series Heroics Trigger Massive Jump in ICC Rankings
The ICC rankings have just been updated and it is good news for all the Virat Kohli fans. With his heroic performances in the ODI series against South Africa, Kohli has received a massive boost in the rankings. He now stands just behind Rohit Sharma in the ODI rankings.
The ICC rankings have just been updated and it is good news for all the Virat Kohli fans. With his heroic performances in the ODI series against South Africa, Kohli has received a massive boost in the rankings. He now stands just behind Rohit Sharma in the ODI rankings.
The ICC rankings have been updated and it can be said that the King is now back to rule the game. At a time when he has been retired from two formats of the game, he continues to dominate for the Indian team in the ODI format. And this dominance was seen by the fans in the ODI series against South Africa which was played at home.
Virat Kohli broke several records in the series, and even smashed consecutive centuries. It was clear that none of the Proteas bowlers had answers on the batting style of Virat Kohli. This even led to Kohli receiving a massive boost in the ICC rankings, which were updated just a few minutes ago.
1. New ICC Rankings
For a long time, Virat Kohli was present just in the top five of the ICC rankings. There were players such as Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Shubman Gill, and a few more who even went to the top three. But Kohli did not get a chance for the same, as he was unable to do well in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2024.
Later, he regained form in the Champions Trophy to do well and finished as India's second highest run scorer of the tournament. Along with that, he did well in the third ODI against Australia, followed by a successful series against South Africa. This eventually helped Virat Kohli to finally get a boost in the ICC rankings.
Rohit Sharma, the former Indian captain, has retained his top spot in the ICC rankings with 781 points. He scored a magnificent half-century in the third ODI against South Africa. Along with that, Virat Kohli has now been pushed to the 2nd spot in the rankings for his performances in the series.
With the new rankings, Virat Kohli now stands just behind Rohit Sharma in the ODI standings. It will be a tough competition between both of them when India plays its next ODI match against New Zealand in the series in January 2026. The difference between both players is just 8 points, which makes it interesting.
2. Kohli's Dominance vs SA
Virat Kohli entered the ODI series against South Africa with a dominant form. He scored a brilliant half-century in the third ODI against Australia. And now, it was time for Virat to dominate against South Africa at the home conditions, and he didn't fail to do so.
Virat Kohli vs South Africa in 2025:
- Innings: 3
- Not Out: 1
- Runs: 302
- Average: 151
- Strike Rate: 117.05
- 100s: 2
- 50s: 1
In the first ODI, Virat Kohli played at one of his favourite grounds, Ranchi. He ended up scoring 135 runs off 120 balls with 11 fours and 7 sixes, which helped India to post a total of 349 runs. India also ended up winning the game by 17 runs, as Virat Kohli received the Player of the Match award.
Later in the second ODI, he also went on to score a consecutive century. Virat Kohli ended up scoring 102 runs off 93 balls in the second ODI. But for the first time in a long time, his century came in a losing cause. With India losing the second match, the series between both teams was drawn at 1-1, making the last game a must-win.
Fans anticipated Kohli to score his third consecutive century in this series. But the target fell short for Kohli to score a ton. Still, he was able to score 65 runs off 45 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes, which helped India to chase down the massive total. Virat Kohli also received the Player of the Series award, for his impressive performances.
3. Virat Kohli vs New Zealand
Virat Kohli will now be playing in the ODI series against New Zealand. This series will commence in January 2026, and again, it will be India taking the home ground advantage. It will also be the one last series for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli together, as it will be followed by a long break with the T20 World Cup and IPL 2026.
Virat Kohli vs New Zealand in ODIs:
- Innings: 33
- Not Out: 3
- Runs: 1657
- Average: 55.23
- Strike Rate: 95.50
- 100s: 6
- 50s: 9
Virat Kohli scored his last century against New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023 Semi-final match. He scored 117 runs against New Zealand in this match, and this even helped Virat Kohli to bring up his 50th ODI century.
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments