Shubman Gill may not be playing the third ODI against Australia, but the right-hand batter has managed to diminish the gap between him and ICC Number 1 ODI batter Babar Azam in the rankings for the batters. Gill is currently on 847 points, only 10 points adrift of Babar Azam, who is 857 points.
In the two ODIs that Gill played against Australia, he notched up scores of 74, and 104. However, with World Cup around the corner, BCCI decided to give the GT opener rest in the Rajkot ODI. Gill’s absence now puts Azam at the top, but how long he will remain in the Numuro UNO position will be seen during the World Cup.
The showpiece event gets underway on October 5, but the battle everyone will be keeping a close tab on will be that of Azam vs Gill.
The race between Babar and Gill at the top of the batter rankings will continue to be closely fought throughout the six weeks of the World Cup, with the pair holding a massive lead on their nearest challengers.
Impressive Shubman Gill
Following the most recent ICC rankings update last Wednesday, the Indian opener currently holds the second spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen with 814 points, trailing Babar Azam, the current leader, by a mere 43 rating points (857 rating points). Since then, Gill has scored a fluent 74 runs off 63 balls in the first ODI against Australia on Friday and played a brilliant 104-run knock from 97 balls in the second ODI on Sunday.
Gill, who struggled to do well on the West Indies tour, was back in form during the Asia Cup 2023, where he finished as the leading run-getter. And he maintained his ace form against the Aussies as well to live up to the tag of being the next big thing in international cricket. Gill also had the chance to get the tag of being the number 1 batter in the ODI format. However, it looks like that he has to wait till the World Cup to claim the spot.
South Africa hard-hitter Rassie van der Dussen (743 rating points) is third on the batter rankings and more than 100 points adrift of the leading duo, while Ireland young gun Harry Tector rises to fourth and a new career-high rating despite the fact much of his side’s ODI series against England was affected by rain.
India duo Shreyas Iyer (up eight places to 30th) and KL Rahul (up six spots to 33rd) also enjoy a rise up the rankings this week following impressive performances against Australia, while teammate Mohammed Siraj maintains a narrow lead at the top of the list for ODI bowlers.
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