Indian batting star Virat Kohli has faced a setback in latest ICC ODI rankings, losing his top spot in the batting charts. The No. 1 position has now been claimed by New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who climbed to the summit after a series of impressive performances in recent IND vs NZ ODI matches.
Virat Kohli had only just regained the top ranking last week, overtaking Rohit Sharma to return to the No. 1 spot for the first time since July 2021.
However, Mitchell’s standout showing in the recently concluded IND-NZ ODI series proved decisive, pushing the Indian great down the rankings once again.
Mitchell’s consistency and match-winning contributions during IND vs NZ ODI series played a key role in reshaping the standings, highlighting how closely contested the race for the top spot remains in ODI cricket.
This is the second time Daryl Mitchell has climbed to the top of ICC ODI batting rankings. He had briefly held the No. 1 position last November, but his stay lasted just three days before Rohit Sharma reclaimed top spot.
Mitchell’s sensational ODI series
The Hamilton-born batter is currently enjoying the best phase of his career. Mitchell amassed 352 runs in the three-match ODI series, delivering one standout performance after another.
He was named Player of the Match in the second ODI after smashing an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls, an innings that helped New Zealand level the series and set the tone for their eventual series win.
Even in the opening match – which New Zealand lost – Mitchell was the team’s top scorer, contributing 84 runs off 71 balls.
Record-breaking numbers
Daryl Mitchell’s tally of 352 runs is the highest ever by a New Zealand player in a three-match ODI series and the third-highest overall in world cricket. Only Babar Azam (360 vs West Indies in 2016) and Shubman Gill (360 vs New Zealand in 2023) have recorded higher series totals.
He also registered back-to-back 130+ scores, equalling a long-standing New Zealand record previously held by Martin Guptill, who also managed four ODI innings of 130 or more.
Dominance against India
Mitchell now sits fourth on the list of most ODI centuries scored against India in India. The only player ahead of him on that list is AB de Villiers, who has five centuries on Indian soil.
Remarkable consistency
Another impressive statistic underlines Mitchell’s consistency – in 54 ODI innings, he has never been dismissed for a duck. This is the second-longest streak in ODI history, behind Kepler Wessels, who went 105 innings without a duck between 1983 and 1994.
