Dubai, Dec 3 (NationPress) India’s renowned batsman Virat Kohli is just 32 rating points shy of surpassing his teammate Rohit Sharma to claim the top spot in the ODI batting rankings following his remarkable achievement of scoring his 83rd international century. This was highlighted in the latest ICC Rankings update released on Wednesday.

During the first ODI of India's three-match series against South Africa in Ranchi, Kohli, aged 37, delivered a stellar performance, scoring 135 runs off 120 balls. This outstanding display of skill propelled him up one position, now securing the fourth rank among ODI batters in the current ICC Men's Player Rankings.

Kohli’s rating has escalated to 751 points, making him only 32 points behind Rohit Sharma, who leads the ODI batting rankings. Kohli had dominated as the leading batter for more than three years until he was surpassed by Babar Azam from Pakistan in April 2021.

Meanwhile, Rohit has widened his lead at the top, now exceeding second-placed Daryl Mitchell from New Zealand and Ibrahim Zadran from Afghanistan, who holds third position. Kohli's impressive performance has allowed him to move ahead of his teammate Shubman Gill, thereby closing in on Rohit Sharma.

India experienced further triumphs as veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav climbed one spot to rank sixth among ODI bowlers. Additionally, the T20I all-rounder rankings saw another shift after the recent tri-series in Pakistan.

Pakistan clinched the tri-series with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the final, allowing opener Saim Ayub to reclaim the number one position in the T20I all-rounders rankings.

Ayub had initially secured the top spot at the beginning of October but was recently overtaken by Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza. However, his performance of 36 runs in the tri-series final, coupled with a critical wicket from four economical overs, enabled the remarkable 23-year-old to rise back to the top.

Teammates Abrar Ahmed (up four spots to fourth) and Mohammad Nawaz (up two spots to 11th) improved their standings in the T20I bowling rankings following Pakistan's success in the tri-series. Furthermore, Nawaz ascended three positions to fourth among all-rounders after being named Player of the Tournament.

Sri Lanka will gain motivation from Kamil Mishara's performance in the tri-series, where he accumulated 169 runs over four innings and jumped from outside the top 100 to the 18th spot among T20I batters.

Additionally, three players from Bangladesh also witnessed improvements following their recent 2-1 series win against Ireland at home. Parvez Hossain Emon ascended 21 places to 38th, and Towhid Hridoy moved up five positions to share 42nd, both making strides in the T20I batter rankings. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman climbed two spots to eighth in the T20I bowler list.

South African players experienced notable advancements following their Test series sweep against India. Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen was the standout performer, climbing the rankings in both bowling and all-rounder categories due to his exceptional display during the 2-0 series victory.

Jansen achieved a career-high rating, moving up five spots to fifth on the Test bowlers list. Meanwhile, teammate Simon Harmer surged 13 places to 11th after taking 17 wickets across two matches, earning Player of the Series honors.

Jansen advanced four spots to second in the Test all-rounders rankings. Meanwhile, his teammates Kyle Verreynne (up three spots to 38th), Ryan Rickelton (up five places to 39th), and Tristan Stubbs (up 16 slots to 47th) all achieved remarkable gains in the Test batter rankings.