According to the new ICC ODI Players Rankings update on Wednesday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the number one batsman in One-Day International (ODI) cricket.
With 865 points, Babar replaces Indian captain Virat Kohli at the top of the table. Kohli is ranked second in the latest ICC One-Day International Rankings with 857 points, led by Rohit Sharma with 825 points.
From August 2017 to April 2021, Kohli was the top-ranked ODI batsman for a total of 1,258 days.
Babar has followed in the footsteps of compatriots Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) by breaking Kohli's 1,258-day dominance. Babar has achieved the best of fifth place and is currently ranked sixth, while in T20Is he is third but has been number one in the past.
With 228 runs and a top score of 103 in Pakistan's recently concluded three-match ODI series against South Africa, Babar has dethroned Kohli to take over the top spot in the ICC ODI Rankings.
Babar made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2015 and has accumulated 3808 runs at a brilliant pace of 56.83 in 78 innings. The graceful right-handed batsman has a total of 13 centuries and 17 half-centuries to his credit.