ICC ODI Rankings – Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli:
After an incredible run in the 1st ODI and 94 in the 3rd ODI, both facing South Africa in Centurion, Pakistan captain Babar Azam guaranteed overhauling Virat Kohli as World’s No. 1 ODI Batsman in the ICC ODI Rankings. Babar Azam was the second-highest scorer in the series with 228 runs, only behind Fakhar Zaman’s 302.
In the freshest ICC ODI Rankings, Virat Kohli is still Number 1 with 857 Points, and Babar Azam of Pakistan is No 2 with 852 points but after Wednesday’s 94-run knock it will be mere conventionality before the Pakistan skipper becomes the best ODI batsman in the world.
| Rank | Name | Country | Ratings |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 857 |
| 2 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 852 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | India | 825 |
| 4 | Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 801 |
| 5 | Aaron Finch | Australia | 791 |
Babar Azam World No 1 Batsman:
As Pakistan overcame the series decider, Babar Azam will overhaul the Indian captain when the rankings get published next.
- Babar Azam who is just 5 points away from Kohli will surpass the Indian batting giant, after his knock on the 3rd ODI
- With India, not expected to play any ODI games any time soon, Virat Kohli will not have the opportunity to overtake the No 1 spot in ICC ODI Rankings. Instead, Babar Azam will immediately become World No 1 batsman in the ODIs.
- As for the record books, Azam surpassed Kohli, Quinton de Kock, and Hashim Amla to become the fastest batsman to score 13 ODI centuries. It took him only 76 innings to get there while Amla managed it in 83 innings, Kohli and de Kock in 86.
Virat Kohli with 857 points is the No 1 batsman in the ODIs — In the recently settled India vs England series, Kohli marked two half-centuries in three matches against but disappointed to get to the three-figure mark, something that has eluded him since August 2019.
Babar Azam, meanwhile, has been in excellent form in the ODI format. He has scored four centuries in his last 10 ODIs, taking his tally of hundreds to 13. Last week, he made short work of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Anrich Nortje, reaching his 100 in 102 balls. He is expected to become the World No 1 Batsmen in the upcoming games.
The captain took to Twitter to express his joy at the series win, hallowing his victory to Pakistan, and noted just how superbly teammate Fakhar Zaman played throughout the series.
