"I can't believe it" - Former England captain's expresses surprise as Rohit Sharma reaches number 1 spot in ICC ODI Rankings

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was shocked to see ex-India captain Rohit Sharma become the new World No. 1-ranked ODI batter in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday, October 29. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the swashbuckling Indian opener has slammed three double centuries in the 50-over format, expressing his surprise that he didn’t reach the top of the rankings chart in the last 15 years despite having over 11,000 runs.

Calling Rohit one of the great pullers in modern-day cricket, Hussain further commended the 38-year-old for his range of shots.

Speaking to the ICC, Nasser Hussain said:

“I can’t believe it, to be honest. I heard he [Rohit Sharma] went to number one and my first question was- when has he been at number one before? And someone said it’s the first time. I mean, he’s been around forever; he’s got three double hundreds in ODI cricket. There must have been some good white players, one-day players in the last 15 years. Fabulous white-ball cricketer, fabulous player, and well done to him. He deserves to be number 1 in the world.” “He’s got all the range of shots. He goes big like I said, three double hundreds. He's not just interested in getting 20s and 30s. Although, recently obviously he's upped his strike rate, especially in the powerplay,” he added.

Hussain further lauded Rohit Sharma for his hunger to score runs at 38 while crediting him for his fiery game during his reign as India captain. The 57-year-old said in the same video:

“He tried to set the tone and change the culture of the team when he was captain, and he did that and did that seriously well. He just got all the shots, you can pitch it up and you get driven down the ground. The bowlers just drag their length back a little bit and he's one of the great pullers in the modern game and he's a fabulous player of spin as well and hunger for the game." "What's he? 38 now and still as hungry as ever. Got runs the other day and he's a joy to watch,” he added.

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Rohit Sharma eclipses India captain to climb to the top of the latest ODI rankings

Rohit Sharma dethroned his opening partner Shubman Gill to rise to the top of the ODI rankings. The right-handed batter was adjudged the Player of the Series in the three-match series Down Under after emerging as the leading run-getter. He scored 202 runs in three innings with the help of an unbeaten 121 and 73 against the Aussies in the third and second ODIs, respectively.

Interestingly, Rohit climbed to the top of the table in the latest ICC ODI rankings with just 781 ratings. He achieved his career-best rating of 882 during the 2019 ODI World Cup. The senior batter will next be seen in action for the Men in Blue during the three-match ODI series against South Africa at home next month.

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Edited by James Kuanal