Shubman Gill closes in on No. 1 spot in ODI rankings after match-winning knock against England

Dubai, July 15 (IANS) India captain Shubman Gill moved a step closer to becoming the world’s No. 1 ODI batter after his match-winning 80 against England in the opening ODI at Edgbaston earned him a 12-point gain in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, leaving him just 11 rating points behind top-ranked Daryl Mitchell.

Gill returned to India’s ODI squad alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli after the T20I series. He led India’s chase before retiring hurt on 80 runs off 75 balls, which included 11 fours and a six. His performance helped India break a tough streak that included a 4-0 loss in a four-match T20I series to England and a historic 2-0 T20I defeat of Ireland.

Mitchell remains at the top of the rankings after scoring 93 runs in the first two ODIs against the West Indies, creating an exciting competition for the No. 1 ranking between the two batters.

Bumrah made an immediate impact on his return to ODI cricket after 968 days out. He took 1/31 against England and climbed to 24th in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings.

India’s chase briefly faltered after Gill’s injury, but Axar Patel (57 not out off 52) and Washington Sundar (52 not out off 63) led the team home with an unbeaten century partnership. Axar, who took 4/62 earlier to win the Player of the Match award, saw significant gains across all rankings. He moved up 18 places to 73rd in the ODI Batting Rankings, rose two places to 42nd among bowlers, and entered the top 10 of the ICC Men’s ODI All-Rounder Rankings at ninth. Sundar also did well, climbing 24 places to 177th among batters and 16 places to 55th in the all-rounders’ list.

England’s Joe Root was rewarded for his fluent 76 runs off 76 balls with a rise to joint 12th in the ODI Batting Rankings. Liam Dawson’s determined 68 earned him a jump of 81 places to 262nd.

Notable changes also occurred in the ongoing ODI series between the West Indies and New Zealand. New Zealand seamer Jayden Lennox achieved a career-best 5/19 in the second ODI, moving up 31 places to joint 66th in the ODI Bowling Rankings alongside Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka. West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph climbed six places to 36th after claiming five wickets in the first two matches.

Among batters, West Indies captain Shai Hope moved up one place to sixth after scoring an unbeaten 87 in the series opener. Keacy Carty entered the top 20 after scoring 113 runs in the first two games.

In the recently concluded Zimbabwe-Bangladesh ODI series, Zimbabwe opener Ben Curran jumped 31 places to 34th in the batting rankings. All-rounder Brad Evans, who was named Player of the Series with 111 runs and five wickets, climbed 148 places to joint 167th among batters, moved up four places to 107th in the bowling rankings, and rose 82 places to joint 90th in the ODI all-rounder standings.

The latest T20I rankings also showed the effects of England’s 4-0 series win over India. Captain Harry Brook rose 12 places to seventh in the ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings after scoring 229 runs in five matches, including an unbeaten 95 off 45 balls in the final T20I. Jos Buttler, who scored a career-best 131 in the same match, moved up one place to sixth. Meanwhile, fast bowler Jofra Archer climbed eight places to joint 18th in the T20I Bowling Rankings after taking seven wickets in four matches.

–IANS

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