A joyous week for former Indian captain Rohit Sharma continued as he was elevated to the top of the ICC Men's ODI batter rankings after the ODI series in Australia. The 38-year-old entered the series under immense pressure, having been replaced as captain by Shubman Gill.
Yet, the champion batter remained unfazed by the external noise and delivered the goods despite India's 1-2 loss in the three-match ODI series to the Aussies. Rohit started the series on the wrong foot, scoring only eight in the series opener at Perth.
However, he fought through a challenging initial burst in the second ODI at Adelaide to score a defiant 97-ball 73. Finally, Rohit brought out his clinical best in the final ODI at Sydney, smashing an unbeaten 121 off 125 deliveries to help India avoid a series whitewash. The veteran opener was adjudged the Player of the Series for finishing with 202 runs at an average of over 100.
Fans on X had high praise for Rohit Sharma's incredible climb to the top of the ODI rankings with the following reactions:
Years of sweat, silence, and self-belief. Today the world finally gives him his due — ODI No.1 batter, Rohit Sharma. 👑 A journey written in sixes, tears, and pure class. 💙
@Shebas_10dulkar It’s the goat opener Rohit Sharma come no1 ranking after 17 years 👁️ welcome
not sm1 who cares rankings but this one hits different for me for Rohit and for every fan who never stopped believing. World No 1 at 38 when most had written him off. One of the most beautiful stories this game will ever tell. Well done Rohit. You made us proud, again.
Fans continued hailing Rohit Sharma for his latest feat, with one saying:
"The never give up attitude of Rohit Sharma is what separates him from the rest. Imagine achieving the number one ODI ranking at the age of 38 when most of the players retire." "Talk all you want, the numbers don’t lie Rohit silences trolls better than anyone," a fan posted. "Haters come and go, records stay forever. Rohit’s game speaks louder than words," tweeted a fan.Rohit Sharma replaces Shubman Gill at the top of the ODI batter rankings
In an interesting turn of events, it was Rohit Sharma's turn to replace Shubman Gill at the top, having been replaced by the latter as Test and ODI captain in the past few months. Gill held the top spot on the ICC ODI batter rankings before a poor Australian series saw his senior opening partner replace him at the position.
Gill scored only 43 runs in the three-match series against Australia at an average of under 15. He also slipped below Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran to No. 3 in the ODI batter rankings.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli also moved down a position to No. 6 despite an unbeaten 74 in the series finale against Australia. The veteran had scored back-to-back ducks in the opening two games of the series before the turnaround in the final ODI.
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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran

11 hours ago
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