What’s Behind Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma’s ODI Rankings Snub? ICC Speaks Out

The recent ICC rankings which were released on Wednesday have led to a lot of buzz as the names of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were nowhere to be seen in the ODI list. Both the stars have stepped down Test and T20Is but still play ODI cricket. Instantly fans speculated that he might be leaving on social media.

ICC Clarifies the Rankings Glitch

The ICC has since addressed the confusion, revealing that a technical glitch caused the omission of Kohli and Rohit’s names. “A number of issues in this week’s rankings are currently being investigated,” the governing body told Wisden.  Once the correction was made Rohit ranked at No. 2 and Kohli ranked at No. 4 in ODI rankings.

This explanation soon ended the rumors that were in the air. Cricket lovers were happy to see their favorite Indian batsmen back in the team as it was confirmed that the two players are still playing a vital role in Indian ODI team in spite of the ranking setback.

Shifts in the ODI Bowling Rankings

The second-ranked Indian bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, in the previous ODI bowling rankings, fell to the third position with South African Keshav Maharaj taking the first position in the new rankings. Maharaj come-back was attributed to a great performance in Cairns where he helped South Africa beat Australia in a 98 run victory in the first of the three one-day international matches between the two teams.

The 35-year-old, who picked up five wickets for just 33 runs and earned the Player of the Match award, surpassed both Kuldeep and Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana. It was a remarkable form turn-around by Maharaj who had been the top ranked in November and December 2023.

Indian Bowlers’ Rankings and Recent Performances

The only other Indian bowler in the top 10 is Ravindra Jadeja as it shows that India is heavily dependent on a small number of players in the ODI format. The Indian team has not played in any ODI matches since winning the Champions Trophy and this could have impacted slight changes in ranking of the players.

In the meantime, West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales also experienced a meteoric rise in the rankings after an outstanding performance of six scalps, and a mere 18 runs against Pakistan in the last of the three-ODI series. This performance saw Seales move up 15 places to 18 th position, which is an indication of his potential.

Emerging Bowlers Make Their Mark

Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and the West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase, moved up 15 and five spots respectively, to a tied-39 th, and 58 th place. The experience of the changes indicates that the ICC ODI ranking system is dynamic because it is continuously undergoing modifications with the outcome of new matches and the performance of individual members of each team.

The reshuffle in the rankings focuses on both stability and influence in the international cricket, reminding fans that although such legendary players as Kohli and Rohit are at the top of the news, newcomers are rising up the world ranking scale very quickly.

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