Shubman Gill Pips Babar Azam To Become World No.1 Batter In ICC ODI Rankings

Shubman Gill of India became the top-ranked batter in the latest ICC ODI rankings, overtaking Babar Azam of Pakistan.

Hyderabad:India batter Shubman Gill replaced Babar Azam from the top to become the world's No.1 batter in the latest ICC ODI rankings. On Wednesday, February 19, Shubman became the top-ranked batter owing to an exceptional performance in the 3-match series against England at home last week.

This is the second time Gill has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, with the India batter having also gone past Babar to claim the top spot midway through the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023.

Shubman, who failed to impress with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, came back into the form at the right time, hitting a couple of fifties and a century against England before the Champions Trophy 2025. Playing a 3-match series against England, Shubman scored one hundred and two fifties and finished with a total of 259 runs at an average of 86.33. With captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still searching for runs, Gill, vice-captain, will have to deliver something exceptional to help India lift the title for the third time.

The right-hand batter was just 5 points behind Babar Azam last week. Babar had a disappointing Tri-series in the build of Champions Trophy 2025. Babar dropped 13 points, while Shubman climbed the ranking adding 15 more points to his tally. The young Indian batter now has 796 points to his name, while Babar has 776.

Four Indians have managed to find a place in the top 10 of the ODI batter's rankings. Gill is followed by Rohit Sharma (3), Virat Kohli (6) and Shreyas Iyer (9).

The Rohit & Co. will play three matches in the group stage - against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium after the BCCI denied to visit Pakistan.