Browsing: batting

Virat Kohli has moved up to No. 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings. He is now only eight rating points behind Rohit Sharma, who remains at No. 1. Kohli earned this rise after scoring 302 runs in the ODI series against South Africa and winning Player of the Series. Rohit scored 146 runs and kept his top position.

Kohli hit back-to-back centuries in Ranchi and Raipur and finished the series with an unbeaten 65 in Visakhapatnam. This is his closest push toward the top spot since he last held No. 1 in March 2021.

The race for No. 1 will continue when India faces New Zealand in a three-match ODI series starting January 11. Other Indian players also improved their rankings: KL Rahul moved to 12th among ODI batters, and Kuldeep Yadav rose to third among ODI bowlers.

In T20Is, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah climbed the bowling list, while Dewald Brevis entered the top ten for batters. In Tests, Mitchell Starc jumped to third after 18 wickets in the first two Ashes Tests, with Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Shai Hope, and Justin Greaves also moving up.

Rohit Sharma Remains No. 1 in ICC Ranking

Rohit Sharma became the ICC Menâ€s No. 1 ODI batter for the first time in his career in Oct 2025. He had a strong ODI series against Australia, where he scored 202 runs in three matches and won Player of the Series. His key knocks included 73 in Adelaide and 121 in Sydney, where he also reached 50 international centuries.

Before the series, Rohit was ranked No. 3. His ODI record is 11,516 runs, with 33 centuries, 61 fifties, and an average of 49.21. The updated rankings show Rohit at No. 1 and Virat Kohli at No. 2, after Kohli climbed two places and closed the gap to just eight points.

Rohit also crossed 20,000 runs in menâ€s international cricket, becoming the fourth Indian to reach the mark. He hit the milestone during the third ODI against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, taking a single off Keshav Maharaj. This achievement places him with Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid on the list of Indiaâ€s highest run-scorers in international cricket.

How are ICC rankings calculated?

The ICC player rankings use a weekly, points-based system to measure how well an international cricketer performs compared to their own past record.

The rankings update every Wednesday for menâ€s cricket. All matches finished before that day are included. Each player has a rating out of 1000. The rating changes only through an algorithm that reads the playerâ€s performance in a match.

If the performance is better than their usual level, the rating goes up. If it is below their usual level, it goes down. The calculation is automatic and has no human judgment involved, and the factors used differ slightly for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

FAQs

Q. Why did Virat Kohli rise to No. 2 in the ICC ODI batting rankings?

A.Kohli moved to No. 2 after scoring 302 runs in the ODI series against South Africa and winning Player of the Series.

Q. How close is Virat Kohli to becoming the No. 1 ODI batter?

A. Kohli is only eight rating points behind Rohit Sharma in becoming the No. 1 ODI batter.

Q. When was the last time Kohli held the No. 1 ODI ranking?

A. Virat Kohli last held the No. 1 ODI ranking in March 2021.

Q. When did Rohit Sharma become the No. 1 ODI batter for the first time?

A. Rohit reached No. 1 in October 2025 after scoring 202 runs in the Australia ODI series.

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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has backed Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, rejecting narratives suggesting they should be phased out of the ODI setup. He insisted the duo remains vital to Indiaâ€s plans and should continue until the 2027 ODI World Cup, according to a report published on Monday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Itâ€s a fact that Virat and Rohit are the backbone of the Indian batting line-up, and the way they have played in the recent ODI series, it can confidently be said that they can play until the 2027 World Cup,†Afridi said.

Fans travel thousands of kilometres to watch Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma play

Afridi added that both should feature primarily in high-profile matches. “You need to preserve both these stars, and when India is playing against a weaker team, they can try some new players and rest Virat and Rohit,†he said.The former all-rounder also criticised Indiaâ€s head coach Gautam Gambhir, with whom he shared frosty on-field moments during their playing careers. “The way Gautam started his stint, it looked like he thought that what he thinks and says is right, but after some time, it was proved that you are not always right.â€Afridi also expressed joy over Rohit surpassing his ODI six-hitting record. “Records are meant to be broken, and this too is now bettered. I am happy that a player whom I have always liked has broken this record.â€â€œMy record of fastest century stood for nearly 18 years, but it was finally broken, so records are set by one player and another player comes and breaks it. This is cricket.â€Rohit went past Afridiâ€s tally of 351 ODI sixes during Indiaâ€s second ODI against South Africa in Raipur and now stands at 355 from 279 games. Reflecting on his association with Rohit during the 2008 IPL season, Afridi recalled: “I played alongside Rohit for the Deccan Chargers in my only Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2008, and at that time, I liked him.“During practice sessions of the Charges, I watched him bat, and his class impressed me. I knew that one day Rohit would play for India, and he has proved himself as a classy batter,†he said.

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Captain Ben Stokes has demanded that the England batting lineup ‘take more responsibility’ after their eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the second Test.

Starting day four on 134-6 and still requiring 43 runs to force Australia to bat again, England had work to do to avoid an innings defeat after they had won the toss in Brisbane.

To Stokes’ and Will Jacks’ credit, they made Australia work for their victory on Sunday by compiling a 96-run stand for the seventh wicket.

However, after the pair were dismissed for 50 and 41 respectively, England were bowled out for 241 to leave Australia chasing 65 to win.

Despite two wickets for Gus Atkinson, victory was wrapped up in 10 overs, Steve Smith getting his team over the line with a quickfire 23 from nine balls.

Australia seal the second Test with a SIX ?

Who else? Steve Smith.

Watch #TheAshes LIVE on TNT Sports and discovery+ ? pic.twitter.com/U1gP09zeWJ

— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) December 7, 2025

Stokes calls for more from England batters

Speaking to Test Match Special, Stokes insisted that he is capable of leading a bounce-back during the remainder of the series, providing that England’s efforts with the bat improve.

He said: “We have to take some responsibility as a batting group, especially in that top seven.

“I think there is some of the stuff it is mentality thing. Again we seem to see those kind of things in that pressure situations when it is neither here nor there.

“We managed to wrestle momentum back toward us then Australia have got the momentum back.

“I see that as a common theme when the game is on the line. When the pressure is on where are we at? Are we clear to go out there and do what we need to do to get us back in the game.

“I will be addressing this stuff in the dressing room. I’m not going to sit here and splurt it all out.”

When is the third Ashes Test?

Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum must now decide how to prepare for the third Test, which does not commence until December 16 in Adelaide.

McCullum has claimed that England ‘over-trained’ for the second Test, something that will seemingly need to be addressed over the next week.

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To support his stance, Gautam Gambhir pointed to Washington Sundarâ€s flexibility and impact despite constant changes. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhirâ€s constant experimentation with the batting lineup has often been questioned, but the Indian head coach reiterated that “batting order is overrated†in white-ball cricket, hinting he will continue following his approach. In the recently concluded ODI series, Ruturaj Gaikwad — a natural opener — was pushed down to No. 4, while all-rounder Washington Sundar continued to float in multiple positions.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gambhir justified the decisions.

Gautam Gambhir Press Conference: Team India head coach heaves fire after 2-1 ODI series win over SA

“I think in a one-day format, you should know the template that you want to play with. I’ve always believed that in white-ball cricket, batting orders are very overrated, except the opening combination,†Gambhir said at the post-match press conference after India sealed a 2-1 win over South Africa.“In Test cricket, obviously, you’ve got to have a fixed batting order, but it (batting order) is very, very overrated (in white ball formats),†he added.To support his stance, Gambhir pointed to Washington Sundarâ€s flexibility and impact despite constant changes.“See, youâ€re talking about someone who’s got 100 at Manchester, a 50 at Oval who averages, what, 40-plus in Tests. Sometimes, you’ve got to look at balance as well. I know it’s tough on someone like Washi, but then I think he’s done an incredible job, batting at No. 3, No.5, No. 8.“That’s the kind of character he is, and that’s the kind of character we want in that dressing room, who are willing to do everything for the team with a smile on his face, which me as a batter knows how tough it is,†said Gambhir.“I’m sure he’s going to continue doing that and we’re going to keep developing him because he’s got a massive future ahead for Indian cricket,†he added.Gambhir also admitted that dew significantly influenced results across all three ODIs — something he expected.“We know that during this time of the year, toss can play a massive role because when you’re bowling first or when you’re bowling second, there’s a lot of difference. Our bowlers felt that in the first two games.“We saw what our batters did when we were batting second. So yes, there is no doubt that there is a lot of difference. But we still had to play good cricket today,†he said.However, he believes dew will have less impact during the upcoming five-match T20I series.“Look, it probably won’t affect T20s much because both teams will get dew, as in one-day cricket, the team that bowls first doesn’t get dew at all. The team that bowls second gets a total of 50 overs of dew.“But in T20, when the match starts at 7 o’clock, the dew is the same for the team. Maybe the team that bowls second will get a little more dew, but both teams will get it,†he added.

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Ireland opening batter Tim Tector says being at the crease with his older brother Harry is “an unbelievable privilege” as the siblings prepare to try and help Heinrich Malan’s side make history in their deciding T20 international against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Tuesday.

A win for Ireland would see them become the first Ireland men’s team to win a series against a Full Member of the ICC in Asia and build some momentum as they build towards the 2026 T20 World Cup in February.

Harry Tector was part of the squad which lost both Test matches against the Bangladeshis in November, with his younger brother joining up with the group for the subsequent three T20I encounters.

Ireland won the first of those matches by 39 runs, with Harry, third in the batting order, ending unbeaten on 69 and Tim contributing 39.

Tim scored 38 and Harry 11 as Bangladesh won the second match between the teams by four wickets on Saturday.

“It’s obviously very cool batting with Harry out there. We’ve done it for quite a while now in our club stuff, and in our domestic stuff at home, so it didn’t feel that different batting with him,” said Tim

“Obviously, a slightly bigger occasion out here, but I do recognise that playing together on the same international side is an unbelievable privilege.”

Cricket is very much a family affair for the Tectors, with other members having also played the sport.

“It’s a real family thing. Our eldest brother Jack was captain of the Under-19s at a World Cup – actually, I think it was out here in Bangladesh.

“Our dad played a little bit and then Harry did the same, I did the same. We also have a little sister, Alice, who’s broken into the women’s team.

“We’ve all played in the same club pretty much throughout our journey, and we all love it. Maybe it’s rare that every family member loves playing the same sport, but it’s great that we all get along with it, and we all love playing it.”

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The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

My ball came to rest in the rough alongside the practice area. There were several practice balls that had overshot the practice area and were thus on the course. Some were in my way, and I batted them away with my club. Was I guilty of playing the wrong ball or practicing on course and thus incurring a penalty, or are they treated as removable objects? —Keith Netley, via email

Keith, and all Rules Guy readers, it is important to practice courtesy. Golf-wise, however, “courtesy” and “practice” are two different things.

As long as you didn’t swing at these stray range balls for some other reason than to get them out of the way as a courtesy — such as, say, getting in a practice stroke, taking a full setup and swing, et cetera — then such actions come with no guilt, per Rules 5.5a and 15.2.

These balls are movable obstructions, and you can move them without penalty.

For more obstruction-related guidance from our guru, read on …

Rules Guy: How do you handle a *living* obstruction?

By:

Rules Guy

My ball lies in a red penalty area. It’s playable, but there’s a fence between the ball and the green. The fence is out of bounds, my ball is not. Do I get relief from an immovable obstruction? If so, must I drop within the penalty area, or just within two club-lengths of the closest point of relief? —Gary Ahlstrom, Charlotte, NC

First things first, Gary: No, you do not get free relief from an immovable obstruction if your ball is in a penalty area, per Rule 17.3.

Further, since the fence is out of bounds, even if the ball wasn’t in a penalty area, you still wouldn’t get free relief from it. Alas, this renders your follow-up question moot, although it never hurts to ask!

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The Indian Cricket Team is in deep-deep trouble after a tough day with the bat against the Proteas. The home side is on the verge of being whitewashed at home for the second time within 12 months.

Today was Day Three of the second and final India vs South Africa Test match. The game is being played at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, and saw the away team win the toss and decide to bat first on a pitch that was expected to deteriorate as the match went on.

Day One ended with several South African batters getting decent starts, but none of them made big runs. The day ended at 247/6. However, the pair of Kyle Verreynne and Senuran Muthusamy gave Indian bowlers a lot of trouble on day 2, forming an 88-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Then, the eighth wicket partnership was worth 87 runs. With the help of a speedy 93 off 91 by Marco Jansen and a splendid ton by Muthusamy, the defending World Test Champions ended their inning at a staggering score of 489. Day Two ended with India at 9/0.

India Vs South Africa: India In Trouble After A Tough Day 3 With The Bat

The start of Day Three saw the Indian opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul surviving and scoring runs. The Proteas spin unit of Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer gave some nice spin to the ball. Couple that with a lot of bounce, and the deck at Guwahati had become a batterâ€s nightmare.

Rahul would eventually fall to Maharaj, as the Indian Cricket Team lost their first wicket at 65. In the next few overs, Jaiswal would reach his half-century and would be dismissed soon after by Harmer, 95/2.

This was the start of a string of wickets that were to follow, as in his very next over, Harmer scalped Sai Sudharsan after setting a trap for the young batter. And then, before the end of the session, Dhruv Jurel would misjudge a bouncer by the tall Marco Jansen, send the ball straight up in the air, and get caught for a duck, 102/5.

The start of the second session of the day was disastrous for India as well, as wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant played a rash shot and was caught behind off Jansen after making just seven runs, 105/5.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was next, at the crease alongside Ravindra Jadeja. Reddy, despite making 10 off 18, never looked comfortable on the crease and was surprised by a quick Jansen bouner, getting caught in the slips. Jaddu would go next after just making six, becoming Marco Jansenâ€s fourth wicket of the day.

While Washington Sundar did mount some counterattack at this point, session two was won by the Proteas as well, taking three wickets and crippling the Indian middle-order.

Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav formed the best partnership for India in this inning, after the opening, making 62 runs together before Sundar got out after he scored 48 off 92. He was also Jansenâ€s fifth wicket. This was the bowling all-rounderâ€s first Test fifer against the Indian Cricket Team.

The tail wasnâ€t a lot of trouble for the South African Cricket Team. The next wicket to fall was Kuldeep Yadav, who had a fighting yet struggling inning, getting out for 19 off 134. Jasprit Bumrahâ€s wicket wrapped up the Indian innings at 201 runs. The hosts, after the first inning, trailed by 288 runs and were eligible for a follow-on.

However, seeing the deteriorating conditions of the pitch, South Africa instead chose to bat again and ended the day at 26/0, leading the match by 314 runs with two days remaining.

After a disappointing loss in the first India vs South Africa Test, the Rishabh Pant-led side is almost certainly out of contention to win this match, barring a miracle. The only result they can realistically go for is a draw. But that result too would mean that India would lose their second Test series at home within a span of 12 months, having been whitewashed by New Zealand last year.

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Look out, officials of the NBA. Chicago Bulls wing Kevin Hurter might half-heartedly bat the ball at you.

The Bulls’ 143-107 loss to the Miami Heat in NBA Cup play on Friday saw one of the most bizarre ejections of the young NBA season. In the third quarter, Huerter was called for a blocking foul after making too much contact with Miami’s Pelle Larson.

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In frustration, Huerter smacked the ball in the air in the direction of Che Flores the official who called the foul. The ball bounced into Flores’ right leg, lightly enough that the ref didn’t immediately react to the impact. However, he did turn around when veteran official (and potential mayoral candidate) Tony Brothers hit Huerter with a technical foul and instant ejection.

The decision was upheld upon review.

In case you were curious, here’s what Rule 12, Section V of the NBA rulebook says about technical fouls and ejections for abusing an official:

d. A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as:

• Disrespectfully addressing an official

• Physically contacting an official

• Overt actions indicating resentment to a call or no-call

e. Cursing or blaspheming an official shall not be considered the only cause for imposing technical foul. Running tirades, continuous criticism or griping may be sufficient cause to assess a technical. Excessive misconduct shall result in ejection from the game.

So it appears Brothers believed the Huerter play landed in the realm of “excessive misconduct.”

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The saving grace here is that Hurter’s ejection hardly lost the Bulls the game. They were down 78-57 at the time of the play in a rough night at United Center. Eight different Heat players scored in double figures while winning the rebounding battle 53-39, along with 13 steals as a team.

Huerter finished the game with 3 points on 1-of-4 shooting off the bench, plus 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block and, perhaps, a lesson learned.

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New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell displaced Rohit Sharma atop the ICC Menâ€s ODI Batting Rankings, ending the Indian captainâ€s short tenure at No. 1.

ICC ODI Rankings:

Daryl Mitchell Takes the Chair

Mitchellâ€s seventh ODI century, compiled in the series opener against the West Indies, proved sufficient to vault him from challenger to chart-topper, making him only the second New Zealander, after Glenn Turner in 1979, to reach the summit. The elevation places him in a lineage studded with distinguished compatriots who never quite ascended so far: Crowe, Astle, Williamson, Guptill, Taylor among them.

Pakistan Players Make Momentum

The rankings update offered gains elsewhere, particularly for Pakistan following their 3–0 sweep of Sri Lanka. Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman rose five places apiece in the batting table, while bowlers Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf each made inroads, the former entering the top ten. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, however, remains the long-established fulcrum of the ODI bowling list.

RankPlayer NameRating1Daryl Mitchell7822Rohit Sharma7813Ibrahim Zadran7644Shubman Gill7455Virat Kohli7256Babar Azam7227Harry Tector7088Shreyas Iyer7009Charith Asalanka69010Shai Hope689ICC ODI Batters Rankings (As of November 2025)

ICC Test Rankings:

Temba Bavuma Reaches Top 5 in Batting

In Kolkata, the conclusion of the India–South Africa Test brought similar churn. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma reached the top five of the Test batting rankings for the first time on the back of an unflustered 55 not out, while Shubman Gill climbed to 11th despite injury truncating his match. Bangladeshâ€s Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mahmudul Hasan Joy were rewarded for centuries against Ireland.

Bumrah Still Rule the in Bowling

Jasprit Bumrah retains his No. 1 status among Test bowlers, with teammates Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja edging closer in the club of perennial contenders. South Africaâ€s Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer also advanced after productive spells at Eden Gardens, Jansen further moving into the top five of Test all-rounders.

RankPlayer NameRating1Joe Root9082Harry Brook8683Kane Williamson8504Steve Smith8165Temba Bavuma7946Kamindu Mendis7817Yashasvi Jaiswal7498Daryl Mitchell7489Ben Duckett74710Travis Head74ICC T20I Batters Rankings (As of November 2025)

ICC T20I Rankings:

Kiwies Players Shine

New Zealand found additional reason for cheer in the T20I rankings: Tim Robinson and Devon Conway made notable gains among batters, Jacob Duffy rose to second among bowlers. Pakistanâ€s Mohammad Nawaz, meanwhile, was credited for his decisive performance against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi, improving in both bowling and all-rounder categories.

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The biggest news regarding IPL 2026 players’ retention is Sanju Samsonâ€s likely move out of the Rajasthan Royals. It is all but confirmed that the RR captain will be moving to the Chennai Super Kings in a trade that involves Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran moving the other way.

The Kerala-born wicketkeeper-batter has been seen as the replacement of MS Dhoni by CSK fans for some time now. One of the best wicketkeepers in India. Currently a part of the Indian Cricket Team in the limited-overs formats, Sanju can bat anywhere in the batting order and has done so at the highest level.

The 31-year-old is a Rajasthan Royals legend. He is the highest run-scorer and appearance maker in franchise history, having made 4219 runs in 150 innings across 155 matches in 11 seasons for the Jaipur-based team at an average of 31.96 and a strike rate of over 140. He is also the longest-termed and the most successful captain in the Royals†history, having won 33 games in 67 matches.

Sanju is also one of the greatest wicketkeeper-batters in IPL history. He is the 14th-highest run scorer in league history, with 4704 runs in 177 matches at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of over 139. There are only four players who regularly kept wickets above him on this list.

With all that being said, it now seems that the two parties are parting ways, and Samson is on his way to a new chapter in his IPL career with the Super Kings. So today, we will look at Sanju Samsonâ€s batting stats at the hallowed home ground of CSK, the MA Chidambaram Stadium, better known as the Chepauk.

Sanju Samson T20 Batting Record At Chepauk

Firstly, let’s examine Sanju’s performance at this iconic IPL venue, where he is expected to play seven home games next season. As of now, Samson has played five IPL matches at the Chepauk, and this is his batting record there –

Matches played: 05

Runs scored: 59

Average: 11.80

Strike Rate: 100

Highest Score: 26

As we can see, Sanju Samsonâ€s batting record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is not the best. He has also played one T20I at this ground, in which he scored five runs.

We will now look at his overall batting record at this stadium in T20 matches. This includes the IPL, the lone T20I, and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games. All in all, he has played 11 T20s at the Chepauk, and this is his record in them.

Matches Played: 11

Runs Scored: 134

Average: 12.18

Strike Rate: 100.75

Highest Score: 31

So, Sanju Samsonâ€s T20 batting record at the Chepauk is not too excellent. However, that might change when he gets to play more matches here in a season than he has played in Chennai in his entire career as he joins the Chennai Super Kings.

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