Shubman Gill did not need to face a single ball to make history this week. India's Test and ODI captain has now climbed to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings, a rare case of a cricketer earning the No.1 spot without any action on the field.
Gill's bat did the talking even in a losing series against England
India suffered a 2-1 defeat to England in a recently concluded three-match ODI series, but Gill's own batting stood out through the contest. The final match of that series was played on 19 July. When the ICC released its updated ODI batting rankings on 22 July, Gill was placed second on the list.
Mitchell's absence from two matches opened the door
Without playing a fresh match, Gill has now moved up to the number one position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. The shift was triggered not by anything Gill did on the field, but by New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell sitting out of action. Mitchell missed two matches of the five-match ODI series being played on the tour of the West Indies. He had earlier held the top spot with 802 rating points, but his tally has now dropped to 794 points, pushing him down to second place. That slip worked directly in Gill's favour, and he has now risen to the No.1 position with 801 rating points.
Three Indians inside the top five
The top five of the ODI batting rankings currently features three Indian players, underlining how strong the team's white-ball batting form has been. Gill leads the list, while Virat Kohli sits third with 767 rating points. Rohit Sharma occupies the fourth spot with 758 rating points. Along with Daryl Mitchell in second place, this places three Indian batters firmly among the world's top five in the format.
A chance now to fix the Test rankings too
Having reached the summit in ODIs, Gill will next look to improve his standing in Test cricket. India's next assignment on the international calendar is in the Test format, a two-match series on the tour of Sri Lanka starting on 15 August. That series gives captain Gill an opportunity to boost his Test batting ranking, where he currently sits seventh with 743 rating points. Another Indian name inside the Test top 10 is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is ninth with 733 rating points.
