Dubai, Oct 29 (NationPress) Indian opener Rohit Sharma has secured the top spot in the ODI batter rankings for the very first time in his career. Remarkably, he has also made history by becoming the oldest player to reach the No. 1 position in the ICC men's rankings at the age of 38.

Rohit surged two positions to claim the top rank following an impressive unbeaten century in the third and final ODI match against Australia in Sydney, where he led his team to a dominant nine-wicket win. The experienced right-hander showcased his skill alongside fellow veteran Virat Kohli (74 not out), hitting 13 fours and three sixes, marking his 33rd ODI century for India.

His remarkable performance has allowed him to surpass Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran and India's Shubman Gill to ascend to the number one spot in the ODI cricket batting rankings for the first time. He has enjoyed a place in the top 10 for the better part of the last decade.

Notably, Ibrahim briefly took the top spot, becoming the first Afghanistan batter to do so between the second and third ODIs in Australia, as Gill dropped below him.

Moreover, Rohit wasn't the only Indian to see improvements in the rankings this week; spinner Axar Patel also received accolades for his strong performance in Sydney, moving up in both the bowling and all-rounder categories.

Axar climbed six places to 31st in the ODI bowling rankings and advanced four spots to eighth overall, just behind Mitchell Santner in the ODI all-rounders list.

In the top 10 ODI bowlers, New Zealand’s spinner Mitchell Santner advanced three spots to fourth, while Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood moved up two spots to eighth. Additionally, England’s Harry Brook made a significant leap of 23 places to rank 25th among ODI batters.

The latest Test rankings have also experienced some changes following South Africa’s impressive eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The standout beneficiary is veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj, who climbed significantly thanks to his Player of the Match performance.

Maharaj jumped nine places to reach a career-high 13th among Test bowlers after taking nine wickets in the match. His teammate Simon Harmer also moved up, rising 26 spots to 45th after claiming six wickets in the second innings.

South Africa’s Aiden Markram has risen two spots to 15th, while Tony de Zorzi moved up seven places to a tie for 47th in the Test batting rankings after the Rawalpindi Test. Furthermore, Kagiso Rabada climbed eight spots to 11th among Test all-rounders.

In a silver lining for Pakistan, captain Shan Masood jumped five spots to share 42nd place among Test batters. Meanwhile, South Africa's impressive performance in the first T20I against Pakistan in Rawalpindi has led to several players advancing in the updated T20I rankings.

South Africa's fast bowler Corbin Bosch jumped 40 places to rank 53rd, narrowing the gap in the T20I bowlers' standings. Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz improved by eight places to sixth, while promising opener Saim Ayub moved up five positions to 49th in the batting rankings.