Virat Kohli Reclaims ICC No. 1 Ranking After Stellar Performance Against New Zealand

Kohli's Remarkable Comeback to the Top

Virat Kohli, the star batter from India, has regained his position as the top player in the ICC Men’s Rankings following an impressive 93-run performance in the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand held in Vadodara on Sunday.

With this latest achievement, Kohli now leads the ICC ODI Batters' rankings with 785 rating points, narrowly ahead of New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, who has 784 points.

This marks the first occasion since July 2021 that Kohli has held the No. 1 ranking in ODIs.

Kohli first ascended to the top of the rankings in October 2013, and this is his 11th time occupying the number one position, according to the ICC's official website. He has spent a total of 825 days at the top, making him the player with the 10th most days in this position overall, and the highest for any Indian cricketer.

Since the last ODI match against Australia in October of the previous year, Kohli has been in exceptional form, achieving fifty-plus scores in his last seven 50-over games. His recent scores include: 93, 77 (Vijay Hazare Trophy), 131 (Vijay Hazare Trophy), 65, 102, 135, and 74.

In 2025, Kohli played in 13 ODIs, accumulating 651 runs with an impressive average of 65.10, making him India's top run-scorer for the year.

He also excelled in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scoring 218 runs in five matches at an average of 54.50, which included one century and one half-century.

In the second ODI against New Zealand, Kohli's 93 earned him the 'Player of the Match' title, leading India to successfully chase a target of 301 runs.

With this innings, Kohli has now amassed 1,091 runs in successful chases of over 300 runs in ODIs, boasting an average of 121.22 and a strike rate of 125.25, which includes seven centuries and two fifties.

During his innings against New Zealand, Kohli also became the fastest player to achieve 28,000 runs across all formats in international cricket, now ranking as the second-highest run-scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar, with a total of 28,068 runs across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.