Former India skipper's reign over as New Zealand batter claims top ranking

New Delhi [India], November 19 (ANI): Former India captain Rohit Sharma's time as the No.1 ranked ODI batter has ended as New Zealander Daryl Mitchell rose to the top of the ICC Men's ODI Batting Rankings on the back of an excellent century against the West Indies, as per the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Mitchell scored his seventh ODI century during the opening game in the series against the Caribbean side, and that proved enough for the in-form right-hander to overtake Rohit at the top of the batter rankings and claim the premier position for the first time in his career.
It means Mitchell is now just the second player from New Zealand to hold the top ranking for ODI batters, joining Kiwi great Glenn Turner who previously held the spot back in 1979.
Fellow New Zealanders Martin Crowe, Andrew Jones, Roger Twose, Nathan Astle, Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, and Ross Taylor all spent time inside the top five of the ODI batter rankings during their illustrious careers, but only Turner and now Mitchell have ever held the No.1 spot.
There were also big gains for a host of Pakistan players following their ODI series against Sri Lanka, with Mohammad Rizwan (up five places to equal 22nd) and Fakhar Zaman (up five rungs to equal 26th) making eye-catching improvements on the list for ODI batters.
Pakistan registered an impressive 3-0 series sweep during the three-match series against their Asian rival, with spinner Abrar Ahmed (up 11 places to ninth) and pacer Haris Rauf (up five spots to 23rd) the big winners on the latest rankings for ODI bowlers that are still led by Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan.
The completion of the opening Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata sees a host of players from both sides climb the latest Test rankings, with Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma climbing among the top five in the list for Test batters for the first time in his career following his excellent hand of 55* in the second innings of the match.
India counterpart Shubman Gill rises two spots to 11th on the rankings for Test batters despite picking up an injury during the same match, while Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto rises four places to equal 34th following his century in the first Test against Ireland in Sylhet.
Meanwhile Mahmudul Hasan Joy also benefitted from his second Test ton, making a jump up by 19 places to 74th spot.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah holds on to his spot as the No.1 Test bowler after six wickets during the first Test at Eden Gardens, with teammates Kuldeep Yadav (up two spots to a career-best 13th) and Ravindra Jadeja (up four places to 15th) among the players to make some inroads.
South Africa duo Marco Jansen (up one spot to 11th) and Simon Harmer (up 20 places to 24th) also rise the list for Test bowlers following decent hauls against India, while Jansen gains one place to move to fifth on the latest rankings for Test all-rounders.
There is further joy for New Zealand on the latest T20I rankings, with Tim Robinson (up eight rungs to 15th) and Devon Conway (up seven spots to equal 48th) making gains on the updated list for T20I batters and left-armer Jacob Duffy improving one place to second on the latest rankings for T20I bowlers.
Pakistan players also make some gains on the latest T20I rankings following the start of their home tri-series with Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, with Mohammad Nawaz rewarded following his Player of the Match heroics in the opening match against Zimbabwe.
Nawaz improves four places to 27th for T20I bowlers and gains two places to move to eighth overall on the list for T20I all-rounders after contributing an unbeaten 21 and a pair of wickets in a first-up victory over Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi. (ANI)