Dubai, Dec 10 (NationPress) Virat Kohli has made significant strides in the latest ICC Men's ODI Player Rankings following his remarkable performance in the recent ODI series against South Africa, featuring two centuries and an unbeaten half-century. This performance has brought him closer to unseating his teammate Rohit Sharma from the top position among ODI batters.

Since Babar Azam of Pakistan surpassed him in April 2021, Kohli has not held the No. 1 ranking. However, his stellar performances at home have put him on the brink of reclaiming that title. The 37-year-old was named Player of the Series for amassing 302 runs in just three matches, which propelled him two places up to second overall, just behind Rohit.

Rohit accumulated 146 runs during the series, maintaining his lead at the top. Kohli's impressive unbeaten score of 65 in the series finale at Visakhapatnam has narrowed the gap between them to just eight points. India's upcoming ODIs include a three-match series against New Zealand at home starting January 11, where both players are expected to vie fiercely for the top spot in the ODI rankings.

Notably, Kohli wasn’t the only Indian player witnessing a rise in the updated rankings; his teammate KL Rahul also made significant gains, climbing two spots to 12th overall. Among ODI bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav saw the most movement, rising three places to third.

South African players have also made strides in the ODI batter rankings, with Quinton de Kock moving up three spots to 13th, Aiden Markram improving four places to 25th, and Temba Bavuma climbing three spots to 37th, despite India winning the high-scoring series 2-1.

The latest T20I rankings have also seen changes following the series opener between India and South Africa, with young South African star Dewald Brevis rising three spots to eighth among T20I batters, entering the top 10.

Three Indian players improved their T20I bowler rankings, following a convincing 101-run victory in Cuttack: Axar Patel climbed two spots to 13th, Arshdeep Singh rose three places to 20th, and Jasprit Bumrah ascended six positions to 25th.

In the Test Bowler Rankings, Mitchell Starc surged three spots to reach third place due to his back-to-back Player of the Match accolades in the first two Ashes Tests against England. Starc has taken 18 wickets in two matches and is on the verge of achieving a new career-high rating.

England’s recent struggles saw Harry Brook drop two places to fourth in the Test batter rankings, while Kane Williamson (second) and Steve Smith (third) each moved up one spot behind Joe Root at the top.

The opening Test between New Zealand and the West Indies ended in a draw in Christchurch, with players from both teams gaining points in the latest Test rankings, particularly Rachin Ravindra of the Black Caps, who climbed nine spots to 15th.

Shai Hope of the West Indies moved up 19 places to joint 48th, while Justin Greaves improved 16 spots to 60th in the Test batter rankings due to their performances on the final day in Christchurch. Veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach also advanced five places among Test bowlers after taking seven wickets in the match.