New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell has emerged as a strong contender for the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI batsman rankings after his two consecutive centuries. Mitchell is likely to replace Virat Kohli in the next edition, who has recently regained the top spot in the latest ranking update released on Wednesday, January 14.
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on 18 January. Daryl Mitchell came to the crease at number 4 in the ongoing match after the Black Caps slipped to 5/2. Mitchell completed his half-century by hitting a four off Kuldeep Yadav and completed it in 56 balls.
Daryl Mitchell can replace Virat Kohli in No. 1 ODI ranking
Daryl Mitchell is close to regaining the top spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings. After scoring two consecutive centuries, he is just one point behind Virat Kohli, due to which the gap between the two batsmen has reduced considerably.
As per the latest ICC rankings, Kohli is on top with 785 rating points, while Mitchell is at second place with 784 points. The difference between them is only one point.
Mitchell may return to the No. 1 spot in the next ICC rankings update, which means Kohli may remain at the top for only a week. The New Zealand batsman scored an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls in the second ODI, helping his team chase 285 to win by seven wickets and level the series at 1-1.
Here are the current top five in the ICC ODI batting rankings:
| Post | player | Team | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 785 |
| 2 | darryl mitchell | new zealand | 784 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | India | 775 |
| 4 | ibrahim zadran | afghanistan | 764 |
| 5 | Shubman Gill | India | 725 |
| 6 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 722 |
| 7 | harry tector | ireland | 708 |
Mitchell scores ninth ODI century, earns praise for another masterclass against India
Daryl Mitchell completed his ninth ODI century in the 36th over, reaching the milestone off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. He completed his century off 106 balls and kept his celebrations quiet, removing his helmet and receiving applause at the Holkar Stadium.
This was Mitchell’s fourth ODI century against India. This innings was also Mitchell’s fourth ODI century in India. Notably, Astle scored his five centuries in 29 innings, while Mitchell has scored four centuries in just 11 innings against India.
As soon as Mitchell reached the milestone, former players Simon Doull, Sunil Gavaskar and Deep Dasgupta praised his excellent form in the commentary.
Commenting, Doull said, “Daryl Mitchell’s excellent form continues. He is in very good form at the moment and New Zealand will hope that continues for a long time. Another brilliant century.”
Gavaskar said, “It has been a brilliant innings. Everything has come from the middle of the bat. Don’t think that he has played or missed or the ball has wrapped his pads.”
Also read: Gautam Gambhir brutally beats Kuldeep Yadav inside the Indian dugout during Indore ODI