Virat Kohli has moved very close to reclaiming the No.1 position in the ICC ODI batting rankings. The Indian star batter is now just eight rating points behind his teammate and current top-ranked batter Rohit Sharma. In the latest ICC rankings, which were released on Wednesday, December 10, Kohli jumped two places to reach No. 2, pushing New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran down to the third and fourth spots respectively. Kohli last occupied the No. 1 ranking back in March 2021. Since then, Pakistan's Babar Azam took over the pole position and remained there for an extended period. Now, with strong recent performances, Kohli is knocking on the door once more. ICC ODI Batting Rankings (Updated) Pos Country Player Rating Career Best Rating 1 India Rohit Sharma 781 882 vs Sri Lanka, Headingley 2019 2 India Virat Kohli 773 909 vs England, Headingley 2018 3 New Zealand Daryl Mitchell 766 782 vs West Indies, Christchurch 2025 4 Afghanistan Ibrahim Zadran 764 764 vs Bangladesh, Abu Dhabi 2025 5 India Shubman Gill 723 847 vs Australia, Indore 2023 6 Pakistan Babar Azam 722 898 vs West Indies, Multan 2022 7 Ireland Harry Tector 708 767 vs Afghanistan, Sharjah 2024 8 West Indies Shai Hope 701 802 vs Bangladesh, Malahide 2019 9 Sri Lanka Charith Asalanka 690 725 vs Bangladesh, Colombo (RPS) 2025 10 India Shreyas Iyer 679 710 vs New Zealand, Mumbai 2023 Kohli Sparkles in ODI Series Against South Africa This rapid jump in the rankings for Kohli came about after his brilliant ODI series against South Africa, where he was named Player of the Series as India won the three-match series 2-1. Kohli accumulated 302 runs in three outings across the series at an excellent average of 151 and with a healthy strike rate of 117.05. He turned out to be the silver lining in this series for the Indians, scoring successive tons in Ranchi and Raipur, where he was utterly in control against the South African bowling attack. These performances played a big role in India's series win and helped Kohli gain vital ranking points. With only eight points separating him from Rohit Sharma, it has now become a very close race for the No. 1 ODI spot. Kuldeep Yadav Takes Giant Leap in ODI Bowling Rankings Another Indian player to have made a strong jump in the latest rankings was Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm spinner climbed three places to reach No. 3 in the ODI bowling rankings. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan preserves the No. 1 spot, with England fast bowler Jofra Archer retaining second position. Kuldeep was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against South Africa. He picked up nine wickets in three matches at an economy rate of 6.23. His best performance came in the series-deciding match, where he returned figures of 10-1-41-4. His spells of consistency were one of the main reasons for the success of India and won him a well-deserved rise in rankings. ODI All-Rounders Rankings Remain Unchanged at the Top In the all-rounders' ODI rankings, Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan retained his top position. He is followed by Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe at No. 2. Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi is third, while Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz occupies the fourth place. With a number of big ODI series lined up, both Kohli and Kuldeep will look forward to continuing their good form and pressing further up the ranking ladder.